Reunited
by EPICFAILYER
Summary: I was so focused on the blade at my throat, I didn't notice how close Sasuke and I really were. My body was pressed tightly against his, and I could even feel the vibration of his voice as he "hmph"ed Naruto. Sasusaku
1. Interrupted

**Hey guys. c:**  
><strong>I've been getting back into Sasusaku lately, so I decided to stop being lazy and write a fanfic. Don't worry, it's not Narusaku, and they'll get longer, trust me.<strong>  
><strong>I'm not sure if I should keep doing this, so tell me what you think in your reviews!<strong>  
><strong><br>I need encouragement! xD**  
><strong>I'll keep writing if you want~<strong>

Emerald green eyes fluttered open at the slight hints of morning sunshine peeking through the windows. After a few hesitant moments, black eyelashes fluttered open to reveal foggy, sleepy eyes. The kunoichi known as Sakura Haruno sat up in her bed, peering over at her alarm clock.

It wasn't what had woke her up, however. She and her other teammates, Naruto and Sai, had been granted a weeklong vacation from the Hokage for a week, which they were not putting to waste. Sakura stayed up late, and woke up late. Confirming that as she looked at the clock, to see it was 12:20 p.m. A, what would normally be, absurdly late time to be awake.

The pinkette headed straight to the bathroom, not bothering to shower, for she had last night, but washing her face. Once she had dried it on her towel and brushed her teeth, she went to her closet to change out of her dad's baggy clothes that she had claimed as her pajamas. She still shared a house with her parents, which wasn't very unusual for a sixteen year old, but they were never home most of the time, which made it seem like her own house.

Now rummaging through her closet, Sakura picked out her casual clothes; a simple navy blue skirt, pale yellow T-shirt, and a red vest shirt over top, with a white zipper running down the middle and ending at her hip. It also had her signature Haruno, "O" on the back. She didn't bother putting on her forehead protector, and was ready to leave, perhaps head to the library, when her eyes gravitated towards something.

Sakura found herself staring at the portrait of the old Team 7. It felt as though her eyes suddenly got baggy and tired, and she took a couple of glum steps to close the distance between her and the picture. Lifting it gingerly in her hands, she looked at her old crush. Sasuke Uchiha.

Look how close she was to him.

In fact, their arms may have even been brushing. It was so unimportant and normal at the time, to be so close to him. But now that would be a luxury. He would likely try to kill her if they were ever that close again. Sakura rubbed angrily at her eyes, refusing for any tears to try and slip out without her permission. She set the picture back down, and headed out to the streets of Konoha.

Her earlier plans of going the library seemed much too lonely, and she had an urge to see him—Naruto, and headed to his apartment. Her black, just under the knee boots dragged on the sandy road of the streets as she thought about her enthusiastic companion. Sakura cringed whenever she thought of how she used to treat him, and with no reason, too. Once she had given up on Sasuke coming back, she started to think of her romantic life, considering Naruto. She never really thought of him in the romantic aspect, but wouldn't mind. He was everything any girl would want in a guy, really.

And even when she thought she didn't want to be with him, the thought of someone else being with him made her jealous. Hinata obviously had feelings for him, and Sakura always knew she would be no competition against someone like Hinata. Feminine, shy and passive—unlike her own aggressive habits and strong willed personality, and not to mention she was definitely _not _lacking in the chest department. Sakura wouldn't be called flat, per se...But not busty, either. Sakura found her legs bringing herself to Naruto's apartment even faster, and in no time she found herself standing in front of his door.

Why should she even assume he would be home? It was a beautiful day, and he was probably already awake and at Ichiraku's or something. She knocked her fists against the door a few times despite her earlier thoughts, and waited quietly. Not hearing a response to her knocks, she sighed.

"I'm coming in, Naruto!"

Grabbing and turning the doorknob, she turned it clockwise and entered his apartment. Disgusting, as usual, but she ignored on the filth and was focused on finding that spiky blonde hair. He was in his bed, hugging tightly onto a pillow, and Sakura walked over to his bedside.

Unlike when he was sleep talking and saying stupid things in his sleep, this time he had a peaceful look on his face, and it took her back 2 years. Sakura stared at him with a little smile for a few seconds before lightly nudging him.

"Naruto?" She whispered, and then said it a bit louder. "Naruto?"  
>He started to grumble her name in his sleep, and then his eyelashes opened like curtains, revealing his piercing blue eyes. Sakura gave him a smile, and he shot up, a delighted smile on his face.<p>

"Sakura-chan! What's up? We have a mission or something?" Laughing a little about how easily he accepted the situation, she shook her head. "Nope, just came to see you." Sakura took a step back to allow him to swing his feet over his bed and go to his closet. He looked back, a confused expression on his face. With the expression still on his face, he pointed to himself stupidly, "To see me?"

He was honestly curious, and it pained Sakura a little that he was so surprised that she wanted to come see him. She pulled one corner of her mouth up, and then the other: a smile. Though she could feel it didn't reach her eyes. In the spur on the moment, Sakura touched her short pink hair and pointed at the door. "Wanna go have some lunch at Ichiraku?"

Naruto stared at her a few seconds, before a brilliant smile swept over his features. A smile you couldn't help but return. The corners of her lips lifted up unwillingly, and she walked over to the door. "I'll wait outside."

After a few seconds, Naruto burst through his door in his usual orange jump suit, something only Naruto could pull off, and grabbed her hand, something she decided to allow just this once, and ran towards Ichiraku.

"Excuse you." Sakura laughed, watching Naruto slouch onto the counter and emit an enormous burp, which was understandable considering the five bowls of ramen he had just inhaled. The blonde boy just waved her off, a goofy grin on his face. Sakura looked down at her bowl. She was just finishing her first and last. She felt like a mouse compared to him. _'Really, what a guy…'_

The two stayed at Ichiraku's for about an hour, including the eating and talking. It was sort of a date, although Sakura would never admit it, and Naruto surprisingly didn't bring it up.  
>"Nyahahah! I know, right? And then Sai was all like—"<p>

"Like what?"

The two jumped and turned around in their seats, only to see, lo and behold, Sai standing before them. Naruto pouted and muttered to himself, "Well it's not funny if you're here…"  
>Sakura looked up at him, her emerald eyes clashing with his black. "What're you doing? I doubt you're here for ramen."<p>

Sai smiled his 'smile', and looked at Sakura, nodding.  
>"The Hokage has requested a meeting with us and Kakashi right now."<p>

Sakura's eyes widened.  
>Right now? It wasn't even the end of their vacation—they were only four days in.<p>

Her surprise turned into a frown, as she analyzed the situation.  
><em>Tsunade-sama wouldn't request us personally like this, all three of us at that, unless it was for a mission. And it's our vacation. There's lots of other Chuunin's out there that could do a mission for us. So it must be something important, something only our team could do. Or something only our team <em>should_do._

Sakura nodded and went with him quietly, whereas an endless stream of questions and complaints were leaving Naruto's. "It's always something! We were having a good time! Me and Sakura-chan.. SAI! You're JEALOUS, aren't you! THAT'S IT!"  
>Sakura and Sai tuned out the blonde boy fuming in the background, their eyes focused on the Hokage's tower.<p>

When Sakura walked in, she frowned to see Kakashi already standing there whispering with the Hokage. He was never early. Unless..

"Naruto, Sai, Sakura. I'm glad you're here…" The woman began, and closed her eyes, opening them slightly to look at Kakashi; sending him a signal none of the others could understand.

Right on cue, Kakashi turned to them, a serious look on his face. His gaze was mostly focused on Naruto, watching him. Sakura knew what that meant. Whatever they were about to tell them, it was going to be enough to make Naruto snap. Sakura shuffled closer to Naruto, causing a perverted smile to creep on his face, which she promptly ignored.

"Naruto, Sakura, Sai." Kakashi greeted. The three of them nodded in acknowledgement.

He got right to the chase.

"It's about Madara Uchiha. We have confirmed his location. It is unknown whether or not Sasuke is with him, but it seems very likely. They don't know we have leads on them yet, and we need to get a move on before they know this. This is an A rank—no, above A rank mission, possibly Hokage ranked, and you three, especially you Naruto—"Kakashi's stare zeroed in on Naruto's fierce eyes, "need to control your emotions for this mission to be successful."

Naruto was already screaming before Kakashi had finished his sentence.


	2. Distance

**Distance  
>chapter 2 of Reunited.<br>Sasuke and Madara will make their appearance in the next chapter.  
>Please review!<strong>

Sakura had learned how to tune out Naruto's screams, and kept her focus on Kakashi's words. She too was shocked as soon as the name Madara had entered the quiet room, and even more surprised when Sasuke went hand in hand with it. Sakura looked at her shishou, trying to read her expression. But in an instant, the strained look that was on her face broke out into full on rage.

"_NARUTO! Shut up!_" Tsunade roared, interrupting Kakashi and Sai's futile attempts at calming him down, bringing the room to a hush.

Sakura frowned, peering at Naruto from the corner of her eye. He was biting his lip, and his hands clenched so tightly that you could see the whites of his knuckles. He was trying to control himself.

The blonde lady glared at him with her intense gaze for a few more seconds, before finally releasing him, and standing up with a sigh. She circled around the desk she was sitting at, and leaned against it, rubbing her temples. Sakura frowned.

Kakashi had said that this was an A rank mission, possibly Hokage level. If so, why weren't they sending more people? Did shishou really have that much faith that they could defeat both Madara and Sasuke Uchiha with just the four of them? It didn't make sense.

The pink haired kunoichi was so lost in her analysis, she didn't notice her shishou studying her, and when Sakura looked up, her shock was met with a smile.  
>"Some of you may be wondering why I'm sending you, just team 7, alone on this Hokage-ranked mission."<p>

At this, Sakura and Sai nodded, but Naruto just stood there. The thought probably didn't even cross his mind.

"The reason for this is because it's Uchiha Madara. It's a miracle that we even know where they are without them knowing, let alone them still being there—"Unsurprisingly, Naruto interrupted.  
>"Wait, how do we know they haven't booked it yet?"<br>"One of my slugs is in the area, keeping surveillance. She's far away, so she can't see them, but can sense their chakras."  
>Naruto accepted this explanation, and shut his mouth, waiting for her to continue.<p>

"So basically the only reason we're going alone is because it'll be easier to hide our presence?" The pink haired girl asked, unconsciously resting a hand on her hip. Such an obvious explanation didn't seem right.

Kakashi smiled, speaking up, "It's because you were all Team 7."

Sakura winced at this, looking down at her toes that were peeking out from her boots. Beside her, Naruto made a choking noise and also looked down. Sai, on the other hand, shifted a bit, like he felt he shouldn't be there. It's true. He shouldn't be there. If everything was normal, it would be Sasuke standing there.

"But just the fact that you were team 7 won't help you against Madara. I'll be there with you, and we'll have backup stationed a few miles away from the battle. If we need it, I'll prompt them." Kakashi explained, revealing the radio system that was strapped on around his neck.

Tsunade shifted her weight, and leaned against the desk she was standing in front of, looking down at the three Chuunin's in front of her. "Sorry to cut your vacation short, but we don't have much time. This is a great opportunity for us, so you'll be heading out whenever you're all ready."

In the quiet of her own room, Sakura put on her mission clothes, and packed everything she would need for the mission. Her eyes searched for a piece of paper and a pen, and when she found the needed items, she quickly scribbled a message to her parents. Sure, they weren't here now, but if this mission resulted in her death, or took longer than expected, this would be handy. Sakura always wrote these notes, explaining what her mission was, and just a quick I love you. You never know.

Sai was already at the gates of Konoha when Sakura showed up, and he greeted her with a wave of his incredibly pale hand. She trotted over to him, standing beside him to wait for the other two teammates. "Relax." He breathed, his voice almost melting into the soft breeze. At first Sakura wasn't even sure if he had said anything, if not for the lip movement she caught from her peripheral vision.

At his words, she got a bit defensive. "Well, what do you expect? This is a big mission. You can't expect me to believe that you're not nervous, maybe scared, at _all_?"

Sai laughed bitterly at her words, and looked down at her with ancient eyes. "Nervous? Scared? Nervous is when you _know_, sooner or later, that you'll have to fight against someone you love. Scared, is realizing that that person is your brother. This…This is just a mission; One that I'll either walk away from, or die doing."

A slight breeze rolled by, as if to hush Sakura. She didn't need help with that. She didn't know what to say, what to do. The girl awkwardly turned a little bit away from him, waiting patiently for the rest of her team. Her lifeline came when she saw Naruto tripping over his feet as he ran to them.

Squinting, Sakura also noticed that he had some baggage. Upon further examination, she sighed when she noticed Naruto was pulling Kakashi by the ear. As they came closer, Naruto's words became audible.

"There's no _way_I would let you be late for this mission, Kakashi-sensei!"

A sweat drop slowly rolled down as they came closer, and she smiled, but the nervousness was still clear in her eyes. Kakashi patted her on the shoulder, giving her, '_the Kakashi look_.' There was really no other way to describe it.

No one was talking. The weight of this mission was still heavy on all of their shoulders, and Sakura clutched onto her stomach, trying to contain the butterflies. The four ninja leaped gracefully from tree to tree, most likely just appearing as blurs to the untrained eye.

"I spy with my little eye, something that is... purple."  
>Naruto murmured, his blue eyes scanning the area as he spoke.<p>

He always played these kinds of games when they were leaping through the trees. After a while, idle chit chat was just bothersome to keep up, so he always tried to make everyone participate in his games.

"_Baka!"_Sakura screeched, bringing her fist in to contact with his spiky blonde locks. He rocketed straight into the forest floor, but appeared back beside them after a few moments. Blood was trickling down his nose.

"What was that for, Sakura-chann?" He whined, his lip pulling out into a pout.  
>Sakura sighed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and sped up to prove her point.<br>"Naruto, we can't possible play eye-spy when we're moving at such a rapid speed. That "purple" thing you found, is long gone by now."  
>The look of confusion morphed into one of understanding, and then disappointment. But just as soon as the look of disappointment appeared on his face, a new expression took over his features. Determination.<p>

"Fine, then if Eye spy if impossible, I'll just have to think of a game that will work!" Dramatically, his hand curled into a fist, and the jinchuuriki slowed his pace a little as he thought. At least his contemplation mode would keep him quiet for a few minutes.

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed as she looked straight ahead. _'Sasuke-kun…Are you still there? Are we too late…?' _The pinkette's train of thought was interrupted, when her foot came into contact with something slimy. Was it a trap? She lost her footing, and quickly slid off the branch, spiraling downwards towards the earth.

"Sakura-chan!"

…_Something_caught her fall. It was squishy, kind of like a bean bag chair. But she highly doubted that someone randomly came into the forest and set one down in the middle of nowhere. Slowly, her eyes opened to reveal what she was sitting on. She gasped, and got up, quickly bowing her head.

"Katsuyu…Thank you very much." Sakura murmured politely, her head still bowed.

"No need to thank me, Sakura-san. It's my fault that you fell. I'm sorry for not cleaning up after myself…how embarrassing…" Katsuyu murmured, her cheeks a little red.

"SAKURA…chan?"  
>Naruto landed beside Sakura, and looked at the snail impolitely. Sakura smacked him on the arm. "You've met Katsuya before—she's Tsunade's slug summon. Remember, she mentioned one was stationed a few miles away from Madara and Sasuke-kun."<p>

As Sakura reminded him, a small 'o' appeared on Naruto's lips as Kakashi and Sai appeared beside them. "Ah, hello, Katsuya." Kakashi greeted the slug casually, and she dipped her head.

"If the slug that Tsunade summoned is here…that means we're close, no?" Sai asked, but it was clearly not a question he really needed to be confirmed. All of them nodded in confirmation anyway, and Katsuya tilted her head straight ahead.

"Keep going in that direction and you should meet up with them in half an hour or so." She explained, and slowly slithered back to her position. Kakashi bowed. "Thank you, and please send Tsunade our thanks." And with that, they were off again.

With each step she took, the number of butterflies increased. The last time she had seen Sasuke, he had attempted to kill her. But that was pretty fair, considering she was aiming to kill him, too. Sakura glanced sideways over at Naruto, and he was frowning, biting down hard on his lip, and looking straight ahead.

Kakashi, who was in the lead, slowed down a little.  
>"Kakashi–sensei?" Sakura asked, curious as to why he was slowing down now.<p>

"We're approaching the clearing. Get ready."


	3. Needed

**Oh gosh, sorry for not updating for a couple of days. My computer was being screwy, so I had to have it taken in. Just so we're clear, the italic writing in the beginning isn't exactly a flashback, it's just what happened a few moments earlier.**

**Please review ^^**_**  
><strong>___

_It exploded._

_The surprise attack we had been planning for went right down the drain as soon as it went off. The upper hand of us knowing where they were … ,them not noticing, …and both being here oh so conveniently at the same time…_

_Stupid, stupid._

_Looking back, it was obviously a set-up. What purpose could Sasuke and Madara Uchiha have for staying in this deserted place for an extended period of time? Intel must have gotten out, and they must have noticed something. And that something was everything._

_Naruto was in the lead when it happened; only going faster once Kakashi-sensei had told us we were approaching the clearing. We all saw it. Sai, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei and I. But the next moment, all we saw was smoke._

_Naruto had stepped on some sort of trap, Kakashi-sensei said, and that they already knew we were here. And even if they didn't, they sure as hell did now._

_I was flung back—we all were, though some of us were more fortunate than the others. I wasn't one of them. Like a ragdoll, I was whipped back into the forest, only stopping when my back slammed against a rock. I screamed in pain, but the explosion demanded the attention, drowning out my cry._

_I didn't think I broke anything, so I got back up. I was right, I didn't break anything, and it wasn't anything I couldn't heal. Naruto rushed to my side immediately, followed shortly after by the other two. We were all relatively in the same condition, although Kakashi-sensei seemed the least wounded._

_We didn't have time to form a plan. The enemies were just beyond the trees that currently hid us. But as we all recovered from the blast of the explosion, neither Sasuke nor Madara attacked us. No, because that would be too easy. They were waiting. Waiting in the clearing. For us._

_All of the plans we have thought of up until now have all included surprise attacks. But the explosion had just rubbed in our faces that now, all of those plans were useless. Now, it was like a blind man going into a mine field._

_No plan, no nothing. They had the upper hand. We have no choice but to walk into the clearing, no plan, unprepared and rattled, and into their trap. The look on Naruto's face makes me want to try harder, and I try to imagine what he's thinking. Even in such a desperate situation, he looks like he has got the best hand. And when I looked into his eyes, I could almost believe that he does._

_-_

But as I look into _his _eyes, all I feel is terror. Blood red. But they aren't the sharingan I remember. These are different. __

I moved my head slowly to see if Naruto still had the expression I loved on his face, but was shocked to see that he was the mirrored image of me. Still in my fighting stance, I turn to look back at the two Uchiha's.

Madara sits a few feet away from Sasuke, wearing that stupid orange mask. And although I could only see one eye, it felt like he was mocking me. My hand curled into a fist at my side, and I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

But then my eyes drifted over to my childhood crush, and it was as if someone had stuck me with a syringe, and drained me of every last drop. I felt my eyes widen a fraction, and my pale lips parted in surprise.

Blood red met emerald green, and I smiled a bitter smile to myself.

I honestly thought I had moved on. Forgotten about him. But as our eyes clashed, and my heart pounded louder than it ever did in my life, I realized I never had.

It was dead quiet, and no one was speaking, or attacking. We were simply staring, reading each other, soaking in the others presence.

At least I was. My pink hair fluttered in the slight breeze, and my eyes were still glued to Sasuke.

"Sasuke…kun…" I choked out, and immediately cursed myself. I had practiced saying his name without the "kun" various times, but apparently it was all just wasted effort.

The younger boy who was draped in an Akatsuki robe, shifted a bit. He didn't turn his head to me, but his eyes. After a long look, he closed his eyes, sighed, and looked down at me with those blood red irises.

Sasuke's lips were opening to say something, when he was interrupted by a familiar voice. Naruto screamed Sasuke's name, which echoed through the clearing, and he was trembling violently. His knuckles were white, and I could've sworn the bone would rip out at any second.

Madara stepped up, and put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. What would normally be a friendly gesture only looked cold and hostile when done by him.

"Sasuke," He said in a surprisingly low voice, much lower than I had last heard it. "Don't you think we should begin?"

Sasuke's mouth curved into a smirk, as he reached for his blade, trailing his fingers across it. "You don't need to tell me that."

-

_"Suigetsu, Juugo, Karin. From now on, we are Taka. And our goal…Is to destroy Konoha."_

_"Sasuke?" Madara questioned, his smile covered by his orange mask. "You're going to ignore Itachi's strong desire to protect Konoha all this time? It will all had been for nothing… Are you sure you want to do this?"_

_Sasuke spun around, his eyes red around the rims from the tears he had just recently shed._

_"You said it yourself; Itachi had considered my life more important than the village. I feel the same. To me, Itachi's life is more important than Konoha, and I will not leave his death un-avenged. Taka! We head out in exactly one week." And with that, Sasuke was gone._

_Leaving Sasuke's team to their selves, Madara turned and walked away, grinning as he did so._

_"Checkmate."_

_-  
><em>_  
><em>I looked over at Naruto, startled that I could feel his nine-tailed chakra surfacing. Already? This was an emotional moment, but we haven't even begun fighting yet.

I looked over at Kakashi-sensei, and he too was keeping his eye on Naruto. Because of Naruto's tremendous chakra, I almost missed the intruders. Peering over at the sidelines, I noticed three people, two men and one woman.

One of the men had white hair, about the same length as mine, with a little bit of blue at the ends. He was smiling, which revealed his razor sharp teeth, and he had an unusual purple eye colour. He reminded me of Kisame.

The next man was an orange haired giant. I didn't know how tall he was, but definitely the tallest here. He looked peaceful, friendly, even. But then again, don't judge a book by its cover.

The last, was a woman. She had bright red hair, which was straight at the back and went spiky at the front, and had eyes to match the colour. Eyes…That were glaring at me. The woman glared at me with such intensity, I was surprised I hadn't noticed it earlier. Was it because I was an enemy to her, that she was staring at me so aggressively, or something else?

When she wasn't staring at me, she was making googly eyes at Sasuke. My eyes narrowed as I smiled. Ah. Got it.

Those three could be a problem. It was hard enough to have to fight two tremendously powerful Uchiha's, which fighting them alone would use all of our attention and concentration, but to also have to worry about three enemies also jumping in? It seemed nearly impossible.

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"Sakura!"

Kakashi-sensei's voice was sharp, stabbing into my awareness and snapping me back to the situation in front of me. I was too busy analyzing to see what was happening at the moment, which didn't seem too good.

My eyes shot up to the area where Sasuke was perched with Madara, only to have them widen when I saw he wasn't there. My eyes searched frantically for him, as did the others, but by the time I felt a blade on my throat, it was too late.

The metal was cold against my over heated skin. Sasuke was behind me, that much was obvious, and for some stupid reason I was reminded of the night three years ago when he was also behind me, before knocking me out. Except this time, he was behind me for a much more lethal reason.

He pushed the blade against my throat even closer and I winced, feeling the small trickling of blood roll down my throat and stain my shirt. _  
><em>  
>"Sakura-chan! Teme…Sasuke, let her go!" Naruto roared, his blue eyes blazing with hints of red.<p>

I was so focused on the blade at my throat, I didn't notice how close Sasuke and I really were. My body was pressed tightly against his, and I could even feel the vibration of his voice as he "hmph"ed Naruto.

"Urusai, dobe." Sasuke commanded, and I felt embarrassed, even at such an important moment like this, to have goose bumps. Every small twitch of his body, every movement, breath…It sent me chills.

"Sasuke! Let her go. I'll fight you instead." Naruto shouted angrily, but there was also pleading in his voice. He didn't want me hurt. My eyes stung as I looked at his face, but I blinked a few times, not daring to show any weakness right now.

"I have no desire to fight you, dobe. I have no need for you, only Sakura."

In sync, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, Sai, and I all made noises of surprise, and I frowned. I would have been thrilled If he said this three years ago, but now…My eyes narrowed, and I swallowed, which was a hard task with the blade pressed against my throat.

Kakashi-sensei's eyes widened a fraction, and he reached his hand out. "Naruto don—"

Whatever protest Kakashi was about to say was completely dismissed as Naruto charged forward, a ball of blue chakra forming in his hand as he came towards Sasuke and I.

I heard Sasuke chuckle from behind me, and my eyes widened when I heard little chirps of lightning. Besides Sasuke, I was probably the only one that could hear them, being as close as I was. And by the time Naruto got here, it would be too late.

"Naruto! Don't come any closer! Sasuke-kun's hiding a Chidori in his sleeve!"  
>Sasuke grunted, making a noise of annoyance, and pushed the blade a fraction closer to my neck. I winced, a small sweat bead forming on my forehead, but I didn't regret it. The chakra in Naruto's hand got smaller and smaller, and Kakashi-sensei and I breathed a sigh of relief.<p>

"Well, we got what we came for. Let's go now, right Sasuke?" Madara asked, though it sounded more like a demand than a question.

I gasped, and tried to look to my right, and my eyes widened when I saw Madara, who was just seconds ago, a few feet away. But now there were only mere inches separating us.

I also tried to look over at the three I had seen at the sidelines earlier, but they were now nowhere in sight.

Sasuke didn't say anything to Madara for a while, so I imagine he was glaring at him. After a few moments, Sasuke spoke up.

"I got what I came for. Get us out of here. Now." He said, and I imagine his words were almost as sharp as his sword.

Madara grabbed onto Sasuke's arm, and chuckled. I could hear screams of my name, but then, nothing.

As soon as Madara grabbed onto Sasuke's arm, we were thrown into a world of confusing swirls. I didn't have any time to make something of it, because as soon as I saw it, it was over.

**

Sasuke landed gracefully on his feet, whereas I landed on the ground with a thud, and looked around. _That was a teleportation Jutsu then_… Instead of the battlefield we were on a few moments earlier, we were now inside what seemed to be the room of an inn. It had wooden walls and tatami floors, covered with a big carpet. There were no beds, only blankets and thin mats.

Was this where Sasuke stayed? It looked homey, but didn't have the basic necessities like food. He must just come here to rest. I gasped when I saw the two out of the three from earlier were already standing in the large room, waiting our arrival. The one with the white hair arrived as soon as I noticed they were there, sliding open door and stepping in.

"Yo." He greeted, giving a wave, and immediately bounced over to me. He sort of reminded me of Naruto, from how he's acted so far.

Looming over me, he crouched down so that we were eye to eye, and he stared at me. Even though this was an enemy, it still made me uncomfortable, and I looked away, lacing my hands through my pink locks.

"Oi," He said, trying to catch my attention. I looked over at him, frowning. Was he dangerous? I was surprised at how passive I was being. In any other situation, a boy who got this close—especially one that reminded me of Naruto—would have been pummeled by now.

But with Sasuke there, and enemies who I didn't know how strong they were, I felt helpless.

I readjusted my focus back onto the white haired boy, and once we made eye contact, he smiled.

"So, you a virgin?"

I made a choking noise, and covered my mouth with my hand, frowning. It took everything in me not to punch him, but the look of sheer surprise and embarrassment was still plastered on my face.

"**SUIGETSU**!" a female voice bellowed, and what was once a face liquefied into water as her boot came crashing down onto his head.

I stared wide eyed as the liquefied head once again returned to a solid, and still sitting, I backed away from him a little. My punch would have been a waste, anyway.

I heard shuffling as someone in the room went to go sit down on a mat, and the red head girl lit up. "Sasukee! Are you alright?" Karin cooed, her voice changing dramatically as she raced over to Sasuke, who had just taken a seat.

The black haired boy grimaced and shoved her away. "I didn't fight. You were there, Karin."  
>So Karin was her name. Karin took off her glasses and blinked, pouting her lips a little as she leaned in closer. I saw her nostrils twitch, and I knew she was taking in his scent.<p>

"Ew, Karin. Try to seduce him and fail miserably when we're _not_ in the room, will ya?" Suigetsu said bluntly, making a show of covering his eyes in disgust.

Curiously, I looked over to see what the orange haired man was doing. My eyes widened when I took in the sight. He opened a window, and had all sorts of birds perched on his shoulders, and arms. Even a few squirrels climbed up to interact with him.

I stared in amazement, and looked at the gentle expression, and glisten in his eyes. He looked over and caught me looking at him. I didn't look away, and he smiled.  
>"Juugo." He said.<p>

That was an introduction, I presumed, and even though these were enemies, I still had manners. "Sakura." I stated cautiously, even though he already knew, and he chuckled.

Suddenly, Suigetsu came running towards Juugo, flailing his arms wildly and scaring off all of the birds. He snickered in victory as he watched all of them fly off, and I noticed a murderous gleam in Juugo's eye in that moment. Though he tried to suppress it.

I had ignored Sasuke this whole time, not even daring to look at him. My head was still spinning. I even had my doubts if this was reality. Maybe this was another one of my dreams, where I met Sasuke again, convinced him to come back, and everything goes back to normal.

"Sasuke-kun…" I still couldn't get over the fact that we were inches away, sitting. Casually. "Why do you _need_ me?" I quoted him, and studied him with careful eyes. I tried to hate him.

I will. I'll try to hate him. At least then, the feeling will be mutual. 


	4. Part of the team

**The italics at the beginning are just a recap from the previous chapter. I'll be doing that from now on. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I was busy with school work. ; ^ ;**

**Sorry this chapters really short, but to make it up I'll be posting back to back chapters next time~**

**And thanks for all of the reviews, you guys are great! :D**

__

_I had ignored Sasuke this whole time, not even daring to look at him. My head was still spinning. I even had my doubts if this was reality. Maybe this was another one of my dreams, where I met Sasuke again, convinced him to come back, and everything goes back to normal. _

_"Sasuke-kun…" I still couldn't get over the fact that we were inches away, sitting. Casually. "Why do you __need__ me?" I quoted him, and studied him with careful eyes. I tried to hate him. _

_I will. I'll try to hate him. At least then, the feeling will be mutual._

When I had spoken up, the whole room fell silent. The red head, Karin, stopped nagging at the white haired boy, and the orange haired man looked over. Sasuke on the other hand, remained indifferent.

I sat on my knees, staring down at my hands. I noticed they were shaking slightly and frowned, quickly clenching them into tight fists.

As scared as I was, after a while of my question not being answered by anyone, I grew annoyed, my normal self resurfacing. I suddenly became very angry, for a couple of reasons. Getting caught, being so passive about it, everyone acting so nonchalant… my eyebrows furrowed slightly, and I looked up at Sasuke.

He was staring right at me.

As long as it has been, the me from three years ago still lived inside me, and I quickly looked away. I was satisfied that I didn't blush.

I dared to look at him again, peering over through the corner of my eye, and this time he was staring at my hands. I peeked at them too. They were still balled up into tight fists on my lap to make the trembling stop, but despite the efforts, you could still tell. Especially if you had sharingan.

After what seemed like years, Sasuke finally started to become animated. First, a twitch of his eyebrows. It almost pissed me off. Was he ashamed that he needed me for something? I frowned,  
>suddenly determined to show him how much Shishou had taught me.<p>

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but stopped, looking over at his teammates.

A huff escaped Suigetsu's mouth, and he interlaced his fingers, resting them behind his head.  
>"Yeah, yeah~" He said, as if he knew the drill, and started dragging his feet to leave the room. Juugo followed silently behind him, exchanging a look with me before he did so. The last one, the female, was hesitant to leave.<p>

"Sasukee… I—!" She started, in a begging tone.

Sasuke's remained seated, his eyes darting up to hers. "Karin."

Her lower lip pulled out into a pout, but in the next moment she was fierce, glaring at me. Was she bipolar?

"But sasukkeee…! We don't know if she's hostile yet! Since I'm a sensory type, I'll be able to tell if she's about to try something funny by her chakra!" She pleaded, and her true intentions were clear. She did not want me and Sasuke alone in the room together.

I wasn't looking at Sasuke, but by the way Karin's shoulder slumped and she dragged herself out of the room, I was guessing Sasuke probably gave her the, "Get Out" look.

The sliding door stayed open for a bit as Karin lingered there, but finally closed with a hesitant click.

And then there were two.

Even after they all left and we had our privacy, Sasuke still didn't speak up. The only noise in the room was the ticking of the clock.

I looked at my lap, and growing extremely bored, I decided to count the ticks. I counted exactly two minutes before _someone_ finally decided to speak up.

"Sakura…" He mumbled lazily, shuffling a bit where he sat.

My heart made a painful thud against my chest as soon as my name left his mouth, and I looked up at him. He was looking at me as well, but this time I didn't look away. I frowned in determination. I wasn't the same girl he knew.

I didn't respond to him saying my name, but us making eye contact was enough for him to continue on.

He stood up, and began to unbutton the Akatsuki robe he was wearing. I was trying to imagine what the me from three years ago would be doing right now. Squealing annoyingly, presuming he was stripping for me, maybe. But now I studied him carefully, watching his hands to make sure he didn't pull out any weapons.

No. He wouldn't bring me this far just to kill me. At least I hoped not. I didn't stand a chance against him, that much was clear.

His Akatsuki cloak fell on the floor with a soft thud, and he kicked it off to the side, beginning to take off another layer of clothing. He lifted his shirt off his head, and dropped it beside the robe.

My eyes travelled along his toned chest, and stopped when I reached his lower abdomen area. There was an angry red gash, three, actually. Just by looking you could tell they were a couple of weeks old, but they weren't properly treated. Infected, maybe. The pale skin around the gashes was aggravated and red. I frowned.

I stared, inspecting the wounds from afar. And also inspecting a few other things. It clicked. Of course. He wanted me as a medical ninja. Besides Tsunade-sama, I was probably the best medic-nin in the world, being trained by one of the Legendary Sennin in the flesh.

The whole time I had been in Sasuke's presence, I'd been shaking. For fear of death, obviously. When me and Naruto saw him again for the first time in three years, the first thing Sasuke had tried to do was kill Naruto, and without hesitation. So I knew he wouldn't hesitate in killing me.

However, with all that said, after seeing the wounds, the medic-nin in me kicked in.

My shaky hands turned steady and careful. I stood up, and started walking over to him. Even with my newfound determination, there was still that small voice in the back of my head screaming to run, and fearing that he would pull out his knife and just end it here.

I bit down on my lip and continued with sure, steady strides. Once we were a few centimeters apart, I bent down to get a closer examination of the wound. I frowned at the sloppy medical treatment.

Stitches were sewn randomly here and there in an attempt to close the wounds. There was also a shiny gloss over the red flesh, and I realized it was a spray on band-aid. I grimaced, and reached for the kunai in my pouch. I found it empty, and looked around the room.

It didn't take me long to find one, and I returned to Sasuke, kneeling down in front of him. It kind of annoyed me how he wasn't the least bit on guard when I was this close with a kunai. It just showed you how confident he was in being able to defeat me. Dismissing the thought, I started on the wounds.

I cut the sloppy strings of the stitches, and pulled them out as gently as I could. I was being so gentle due to being an excellent medic nin, of course, but also because It was Sasuke, as much as I didn't want to admit it.

The wound was most likely infected, due to the aggravation I was seeing. I ran my finger across one of the gashes, and frowned. Just as I thought. The spray on band-aid was hard, after being left on for so long. I would have to just reopen the wound because of that, and the infection.

Readying the kunai, I sliced it into his wound with precision, only now starting to hear noises of discomfort leave the Uchiha. Once I had reopened all of the wounds, I dropped the Kunai and positioned my hands so they were just hovering over the cuts.

The familiar green chakra started to flow out of me and into the wounds, showing immediate effects and repairing the flesh and dismissing the aggravation right before my eyes.

I reached into my back pouch and pulled out some bandages, reaching over and wrapping them around his lower abdomen to cover all of the wounds. When I was satisfied with my work, I brushed my hands off, and backed away. "Done," I announced, wiping my hands on my apron.

Sasuke twisted his body a little as if to test it, and then walked over to go retrieve his clothing. He slipped on his shirt, and then buttoned the Akatsuki robe back up.

I sat on the floor, and he stood there for a bit. I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what. In my head, I was rehearsing what to say, what I could say, what TO say overall.

Sasuke started heading over to the door, maybe to call his teammates back in. I still wanted to be alone with him, so I panicked.

"If that's all," I said a bit too loud, and stood up as If I actually just planned to leave.

It got his attention, at least.

He stopped in front of the door, and stood there for a few seconds. He turned around slightly, and looked me directly in the eye.

"You're part of team Taka now."

I stared. What was that? Team… I thought of the three that were outside, and my mouth opened slightly. Did they call themselves team Taka? If so, that meant…

"You want me as a permanent fixture on your team?" I said doubtfully, not believing my own words.

He didn't say anything, so I took his silence as a yes.

"Granted, I'm a skilled medical ninja, but what I just dealt with now…Any medical ninja could deal with that." Hell, even _Ino_ could deal with that.

_Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick._ Three minutes this time.

His hand slithered on the handle of the door as he slid it open. Turning around, he looked me straight in the eyes, his pitch black meeting my emerald green.

"You're part of team Taka now."

He closed the door behind him.


	5. Losing control

**Thanks for all of the reviews and encouragement, you guys!  
>It's really helping me to write faster. You guys are great. :D<br>So, here's chapter five!**

******__

_He stopped in front of the door, and stood there for a few seconds. He turned around slightly, and looked me directly in the eye. _

_"You're part of team Taka now." _

_I stared. What was that? Team… I thought of the three that were outside, and my mouth opened slightly. Did they call themselves team Taka? If so, that meant… _

_"You want me as a permanent fixture on your team?" I said doubtfully, not believing my own words. _

_He didn't say anything, so I took his silence as a yes. _

_"Granted, I'm a skilled medical ninja, but what I just dealt with now…Any medical ninja could deal with that." Hell, even __Ino__ could deal with that. _

_Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.__ Three minutes this time. _

_His hand slithered on the handle of the door as he slid it open. Turning around, he looked me straight in the eyes, his pitch black meeting my emerald green. _

_"You're part of team Taka now." _

_He closed the door behind him._

  
><strong>**<strong>

I stood there, dumbfounded. My eyes were still glued to the door that Sasuke had just left out of. I wasn't really paying attention to the clock, but I guess a part of me was, because I counted five minutes. Five minutes of staring stupidly at the door.

Then it occurred to me.

I was alone. My eyes slowly drifted over to the window, as If I was afraid to get caught from just looking. It wasn't open, but it wasn't locked from the outside or anything. I could easily slip out. My mouth became dry, and I nervously licked my lips as my eyes zeroed in on the window.

Karin, presumably a sensory type ninja based on what she said earlier, is with Sasuke. She would be able to know in a heartbeat if I went too far. And it wouldn't take long at all for Sasuke to track me down after that.

I moaned in defeat, sliding to the floor, and finally laying down. I stared at the bloody kunai I used to operate on Sasuke that was a few inches away from my face.

I felt my ears stinging, and quickly shut them, refusing to let any tears out. What was Naruto thinking? He was there when I was taken. Was he looking for me? Of course he was.

I partially curled my body into a ball, and opened my eyes. Shouldn't I be happy? I wanted to see Sasuke so much, wanted him back so badly. My words from three years ago echoed through my head. When Sasuke was leaving, I screamed that I would betray Konoha to go with him.

And that's what I was doing now. So shouldn't I be happy?

No, that was the me from three years ago. The me from three years ago was gone. And so was Sasuke's. He was changed. I had heard news that he'd already killed Itachi…So it didn't make sense. Why didn't he just come back to Konoha? What exactly was team Taka's intentions?

I bit my lip, hard enough that it drew blood, and slowly sat up and got to my feet. Although it seemed like I was alone, I knew that Karin was currently pinpointing me. Like she said earlier, If I try anything funny, she'll be the first to know.

I sighed and opened the door, leaving the room. Where did they go? Even though they were keeping watch of me, if I'm part of their team, shouldn't they have brought me wherever they were?

I groaned, not in the mood to go looking for them, and turned right back around, entering the room and closing the door behind me. My green eyes spotted some mats on the floor, and I made my way over to them.

They were all un-made except for one, which I guessed was Juugo's, so I took that one. Something about him made me feel at peace, and as I lay on his mat, even his smell did.

Escaping from Sasuke and the others seemed impossible, but if only for a few hours, I allowed myself to escape to a whole other world.

**** **

My blue eyes frantically scanned the area.

What just happened? One moment, Sakura was being taken hostage by Sasuke, and the next…

I snapped my head over to look at Kakashi-sensei, and grew even more worried when his usual calm composure was shattered into a million pieces. Even Sai seemed shaken.

"Oi, Kakashi-sensei! What just happened? Where did that orange masked guy take Sakura-chan!" I wasn't even thinking. Sure, screaming wouldn't help, but it sure made me feel better. My hands clenched into tight fists at my sides, and I strode over to the crater in the earth where Sakura was previously standing.

Dropping to my knees, I trailed my fingers gently across it, and my eyes widened at the sign of something pink. Piercing blue eyes zeroed in on a single strand of her hair that lay on the dirt. The hand that was resting on the dirt clenched and I stood back up.

"Oi, Kakashi-sensei!" I roared, due to him not answering my question, and spun around.

I had a mild heart attack when he was standing a few inches away from me, also looking down at the crater. His eyes were tired, and they lazily drifted over to meet mine.

"Even if the most skilled tracking ninja in the whole universe was with us right now," he paused to make eye contact with me, and I noticed I was clenching my teeth. "It would still be impossible to track them. That technique… For all we know, they could be in a different dimension, or halfway across the world. We have no leads, no nothing. They didn't leave any trails, clues... If we want to find Sakura, we'll have to start from scratch. And they already have the upper hand. We could never find her. In fact, she may already be dead."

I didn't understand. Kakashi –sensei didn't sugar coat it or anything. We were making eye contact the whole time, and his words were a knife, twisting in my wound. I started to breathe heavily, and I noticed Sai walk up to us, but I paid him no mind.

Kakashi-sensei was studying me carefully. Did he want to hurt me? Maybe pump me up? It didn't work though. His hand was already gripped around my heart, and with each word it constricted tighter and tighter, until I felt like I was going to burst.

Sakura-chan. I couldn't save her.

_"In fact, she may already be dead. _"

My ears popped. I heard voices. Kakashi-sensei's and Sai's, but they were muted. Just white noise in the background. The only thing I could hear was my heart beating loudly, and I wondered if they could hear it. 

Sakura-chan.

My whole body was growing increasingly hot, and I noticed my hands were bleeding from being in fists for so long.

I don't know why I screamed, but I did. Maybe roared would be a more appropriate word.

My body was blistering hot, and for a second I wondered if I was on fire.

"Sai! Back away!"

That was Kakashi-sensei's voice. I was sure of that. He sounded afraid. Were there enemies nearby?

I heard a crash. A body coming into contact with the earth harshly, perhaps. Followed by a cry of pain, and coughs.

"_Kakashi!_"

It was Sai's voice this time.

"Naruto, stop! _Calm down_!"

Calm down? Was I not calm?

The sound of my heartbeat drowned out all of their voices again. I heard muted screaming in the background, but the slow beating of my heart was all I was focused on.

The slow beating of my heart. Slow…

See? I was calm.

**** **

A towel was whipped at my face. I was sort of conscious, but it completely pulled me out of my dreamless sleep, scaring the crap out of me.

I rubbed at my green eyes, which were covered in a thick layer of fog, and I did my best to try and identify the suspicious looking blob in front of me. I saw a bright flash of red, so I figured it was either Juugo, or Karin.

"Juugo…?" I asked hopefully, crossing my fingers that I didn't have to hear the shrill voice of the other red head.

"Over here." The calm voice that I was hoping for called out. But it was a different blob. I finally rubbed harder at my eyes, and the blobs became clear.

The one who had thrown the towel at my face, the first blob I saw, was indeed Karin. Juugo on the other hand was a bit behind her. Sasuke and Suigetsu were also in the room doing their own thing. I was surprised at how weak I felt after that long nap. I looked outside to try and determine what time it was. The sky was orange, so It would become dark pretty soon.

Why did they wake me? Did they need me for something? Did someone stub their toe, and they needed the skilled medical ninja to heal them?

I inwardly scoffed at the thought, though I could imagine Suigetsu doing that.

"Sasuke wants to go in the hot springs," Karin started, placing one hand on her hip. "So Juugo and Suigetsu are going along with him."

She stopped talking. Was that all she wanted to wake me up to tell me? I yawned.

"So I want to go in the hot springs too."

Having just been awakened from my nap, my patience was short, and I looked up at her with impatient eyes. "Your point, please?"

I earned a snicker from Suigetsu who was polishing his sword. "I like her."

Karin pushed up her glasses, and frowned.  
>"My POINT is that If I want to go in, we can't leave you unsupervised."<p>

I rolled my eyes, remembering earlier how they had all left me. But I guess if they were in the hot springs they were more off guard, so If I tried to run away, they couldn't come after me immediately. That's why I had to go in with Karin. So she could, ''_supervise_'' me.

I shook my head in understanding, though I just wanted her to go away. Her and Ino would probably get along. Or not.

The boys started to clear out of the room with their towels in hand, and Karin grabbed her towel too. I picked up the one she had thrown at me, and followed them out the door.

I stared at Sasuke's back as we walked, clutching the white towel to my chest. I thought of the portrait in my room. Myself in the middle, smiling, and Naruto and Sasuke on either side of me, exchanging sour glares. And, of course, Kakashi-sensei paying no mind to all of the turmoil, and (presumably) smiling underneath his mask.

Back then, teasing Sasuke was normal. Being close to Sasuke was normal. Taking a picture with Sasuke seemed so normal. Now… all of that seemed so unimaginable.

"Well, this is where we part." Suigetsu said dramatically as we entered hot springs area, making his way into the boys change room.

Karin blushed and tried to make eye contact with Sasuke. "See you soon, Sasuke." She cooed, and walked into the girls half. I followed after her, and began to take off my clothes and put them in the bin.

It was a little odd to be standing naked, next to an enemy. I wrapped the towel around myself quickly, and waited for her to get ready too, not wanting to look like I was planning on escaping. Though the thought had certainly crossed my mind.

"Oi, let's go!" She said, her voice much different than when she talked to Sasuke. I remembered the way she cooed him, and acted so sweet, and grimaced. Great. Now I have another Ino.

No… I studied Karin, and couldn't help when the corners of my mouth turned down. She was worse. In my head ,I compared her to my old self, wondering If I was anything like her, and breathed a sigh of relief when I decided I was… not so annoying.

I followed her into the springs, and I looked around. There were only about four other girls, which was a very scarce amount. Usually there were at least ten others.

I cringed when I stuck my leg into the water too fast, my pale skin becoming red. I sat down on a nearby rock, and with my other leg, tested the water carefully with my toe.

I dipped it in repeatedly, watching the ripples I created and watched as my reflection became distorted. Easing myself into the water, I held my pink locks up so they wouldn't get wet, but soon changed my mind and dunked my head under.

I sat under the water for as long as I could, liking the feeling of being secluded. The water was hot, but I still risked opening my eyes.

From the heat, the water was foggy, but I could still see my pink hair floating all around me. I held my hands in front of my face and moved my fingers around, staring at them. Pretty soon though, I ran out of breath, and burst out of the water as I gulped the air.

When I resurfaced, I cocked an eyebrow when I saw that the redhead was gone. I was about to call for her, when I noticed she was pressed tightly against the wall that separated the girls bath from the boys bath.

It didn't take me long to realize what on earth she was doing.

Peeping. I frowned, and almost considered calling her out, but she was so distracted. Could I take this opportunity to escape? I heard Karin giggle quietly to herself, and I grimaced.

I stood up out of the water slowly, raising my leg and ready to run.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! IDIOT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Karin screamed, and I flinched so violently that I flopped back into the water. I cursed under the water, though that only resulted in a bubbly mess.

I came back out of the water. Did she see me trying to escape? All of my fears were diminished when I saw Suigetsu's purple eye.

It appears the whole that Karin was using to look into the boys bath, Suigetsu had also discovered it. I watched as Karin stuck her finger into the hole, shoving her finger into the white haired boy's eye, and his painful yell that followed. Karin clogged the hole with part of her towel that she ripped off, and splashed back into the water.

She huffed in annoyance, and crossed her arms, mumbling a string of curses.

"Oh, Karin, we forgot the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. I'll go get it—"

"Yeah! Whatever! Go!" She demanded, trying to find a new, undiscovered spot to see into the boy's bath.

I swung my legs over the side of the rocks, and lowered myself down until I felt my feet touch the smooth ground. I reached for my towel, and wrapped it around my body, it clinging to me due to the water, and emphasizing my hour glass shape.

I turned around to make sure Karin wasn't looking, and when confirmed she wasn't, dashed out. I had purposely hid the Shampoo, Conditioner and Body wash when she was undressing, so that I could use that excuse.

Arriving back into the changing room, I grabbed my clothes out of the basket, not taking the time to get changed, and ran out into the lobby.

Women were hissing at me, and calling me crude things, while the men were ogling at me. My eyebrow twitched, and I glared at as many of the men as I could manage, but it wasn't so intimidating when I was blushing so fiercely. Exiting the hotel, I ran barefoot, my feet slapping against the ground.

My heart was pounding, and my breaths came out as gasps as I pushed myself as hard as I could to escape. I kept looking back every now and then to make sure no one was following. Butterflies were squirming in my stomach and I tried my best to push them down.

I didn't think about if I could do it or not, I just thought about doing it. Just concentrate on running away. I wouldn't discourage myself, or give my hopes up.

My breathing was ragged now, and my pink hair was cold and damp, and a disaster from being windblown. My bangs hung in my face, my piercing green eyes peeking through like a sun peeking through curtains.

I allowed myself to slow down, and readjusted my towel, tightening it again. I considered changing into my clothes, but I wouldn't do that until I was completely safe.

I slowed down until I was completely walking, my bare feet stinging from their contact with the forest ground. I tried to calm down. At least if they sensed me, I could use the tree's as coverage.

I was looking back, and didn't notice what was in front of me. I hit into something. At first I thought it was a tree, but it was too soft. I looked up, and my breath was caught.

My eyes widened more than I knew they were capable of, my whole body started trembling. I dropped my clothes, and fell to the ground, my shaky legs unable to hold me up any more.

The bear roared, and stood up on its two legs, and all I could do was watch. I looked over to my pouch, and remembered it was empty. I could probably kill it, but I was in shock. Why wouldn't my body move?

I tried desperately to summon up my chakra, when I noticed something.

Almost half of my chakra was depleted. Gone. My eyes widened in realization.

My nap.

They must have drained me of my chakra while I was sleeping, so that I wouldn't have any strength when I woke up. So that's their plan. Always have me low on chakra, unless they need me to heal, in which case they would lend me their chakra for the moment.

Besides my fear of this bear, I was suddenly very angry. That was why I was so messed up when I awoke from my nap. But that was the least of my problems now.

I looked up at the bear, and started to whimper. I didn't like the noise, so I bit down on my lip, closing my mouth completely so that the noise couldn't escape.

Although it wouldn't do much, I still tried to escape. I couldn't move my body that well, but I still managed to back up from the bear a bit. It took a step forward, and I crawled a little more back.

As I was crawling back, I backed into a tree. This was it. I couldn't escape. What a pitiful death for a ninja. To be killed by a bear. My whole body was shaking, and I pressed my back against the tree as I looked up at the bear.

It took a few more steps, its claws outstretched, and drool coming out of his mouth.

And then it fell to the ground.

It was pierced. Through the chest.

I couldn't fully tell what it was, but it kind of looked like an odd blade.

I still sat wide eyed and shaking, my back still pressed up against the tree and my shaky breath the only noise in the forest.

Suddenly, the tree I was leaning against moved, and I gasped and turned around, looking up.

Sasuke was looking down at me, already dressed in his Akatsuki robe, and his Chidori in the form of a blade popping out of his sleeve. 


	6. Saved

**I wrote the last chapter and this chapter back-to-back, as promised! The last one was pretty long, 3,000 and something words, which I was pretty proud of. Way better than the 1,000 and something words like the one before the last one. ; ^ ;**

**Please review! You guys are awesome. :D**

**** **

_It took a few more steps, its claws outstretched, and drool coming out of his mouth._

_And then it fell to the ground._

_It was pierced. Through the chest._

_I couldn't fully tell what it was, but it kind of looked like an odd blade._

_I still sat wide eyed and shaking, my back still pressed up against the tree and my shaky breath the only noise in the forest._

_Suddenly, the tree I was leaning against moved, and I gasped and turned around, looking up._

_Sasuke was looking down at me, already dressed in his Akatsuki robe, and his Chidori in the form of a blade popping out of his sleeve._

**

The chirping of Sasuke's Chidori echoed through the forest, and I was still leaning against him as I looked up at him. He stepped over to the bear, which caused me to momentarily slump back considering I was trusting him with all of my weight.

He looked down at the bear and kicked it.  
>"Juugo," another kick, "Learn to tame your animals more efficiently." Sasuke ordered, and with his foot, rolled it over so that it was on its stomach.<p>

"Sorry," Juugo said sheepishly, appearing out of the bushes, "Bears are harder to tame, especially from a distance. I tried to send the birds to tell it to calm down, but it didn't work."

Suigetsu was the next to appear, and he looked down at me, smirking.

I was still too shaken up to react, but if I was normal, I can tell I would have been angry.

I looked up at all three of them, my stare alternating between Sasuke, Juugo, and Suigetsu.

"W-w-w-" I attempted to say, 'would' but It came out as a stuttered mess. I breathed deeply through my nose.

They all looked down at me questioningly, and I tried to form a proper word.

"Would," I said, feeling rather accomplished I didn't stutter, "one of y-you like to exp-plain what's going o-on?" I asked, only stuttering a few times here and there. I was starting to feel like Hinata.

Suigetsu raised his hand childishly, jumping up and down. Everyone ignored him.

"I will," Juugo offered, sitting down cross legged in front of me.

I blushed furiously, changing my seating position so that I too was cross legged. After all, I was only wearing a towel.

Juugo smiled at me, and then looked down at his hands, a guilty expression on his face.

"We took you hostage, so it was obvious you wouldn't just play along right off the bat. Especially after what Sasuke had told us of you."

I looked up at Sasuke. What exactly did he say about me? Suigetsu snickered, and his eyes travelled my body.

"Though he didn't tell us how hot she was—" Suigetsu was interrupted by Juugo reaching up and hitting him in the stomach.

Juugo continued. "So, as you probably figured out after your encounter with the bear, we depleted your chakra just enough so that you couldn't use any techniques. That was for our safety, though. We didn't know this was going to happen."

I interrupted. "Yeah, that reminds me. How did you all get here so quickly? I planned it out, and…"

"I can talk to animals," Juugo said, as he held out to me a bird that was perched on his hand, "This whole forest is crawling with different kinds of animals. When you saw me with the birds when we first met, I was telling them to deliver a message to all of the animals: If they see a pink haired girl running through the forest, tell me, and try to halt her. That's why we knew you escaped. Karin didn't notice yet, but my animals did. And they told me."

My green eyes narrowed into slits, and I peered up at Juugo. I wasn't mad, just thinking.  
>"Even so, It still should have taken you a while to get dressed, and for the information to get to you…"<p>

Juugo started laughing, and pointed to Sasuke. "Yeah, this guy doesn't linger. He washes, and gets out. He was out before you were, and was already back in the room. He knew you left because apparently there was a riot in the lobby of men talking about a naked pink haired girl they had just seen run away. By the time my animals knew you were gone, Sasuke was already at the scene. So me and Suigetsu came as soon as we could. Though Karin said she wasn't ready, and that girls took more preparation than guys."

When Juugo was done talking, I laughed bitterly. I brought my knees up to my chest and hugged them tightly. It was a joke to think I could ever escape. I would either be a part of team Taka for the rest of my life, or be rescued.

I stood up, but my knees shook, and I fell right back down. Juugo grabbed me before I could fall, and picked me up bridal style. My towel rose a little too high for comfort, and I tugged it back down.

"Oh, my clothes…" I started, pointing to them on the ground, and Juugo bent down, and threw them in my lap.

"We ready to go yet?" Suigetsu asked impatiently, and I nodded. At my nod, Sasuke started to head back to the inn, jumping through the trees at a rapid speed, followed by Suigetsu. Me and Juugo followed not too far behind.

I think Juugo was trying to speak to me, but with the wind blowing in my face I couldn't hear him. I think he caught on to that, and he stopped trying, just enjoying the trip in silence.

At the speed the three of them were going, it didn't take long to get back to the Inn.

As soon as Juugo and I entered the Inn, roars of men erupted through the hallways, and countless whistles pierced through the air. I cringed, and looked at all of them.

Before I could react, Suigetsu grabbed his sword, which I just noticed now was Zabuza's, and threatened a couple of the gentleman, with his sharp smirk still plastered on his face.

I appreciated the thought, but that was too much. I squirmed in Juugo's arms. He noticed, and put me down.

"Suigetsu. Enough." I said, placing my hand gently on the sword. He looked at me for a few moments, and after staring at me for a while, sighed, and put his sword away.

I looked around, noticing Sasuke was gone. Where did he go? Juugo must have seen me looking for him, because he smiled and said, "In our room."

Once me, Juugo and Suigetsu entered the room, we saw Karin all over Sasuke, trying to seduce him. But as soon as she noticed us enter the room, she recoiled as if she had just touched something extremely hot. Her face became bright red, and she looked flustered. Apparently she becomes very defensive when embarrassed.

"YOU! This is all YOUR fault!" she screeched at me, grabbing a fistful of my hair.

I winced as she tugged at it, wanting to backhand her right then and there. I think I had regained enough of my chakra to shatter a building. I was about to go in for a non life threatening blow, when someone intervened.

"Karin."

It was Sasuke. We both looked over at him wide eyed. He was sitting, drinking something, and his eyes were closed. He blew some steam off of whatever it was that he was drinking, and then took another sip.

Karin frowned and looked towards me, sending me one last angry glare, before she let go of me.  
>"Me and Suigetsu are always rough with each other, and you never intervened on THAT before!" Karin accused, jabbing her finger at Sasuke.<p>

Sasuke opened his eyes menacingly, and put his drink down.

"That's because Suigetsu can liquefy himself. So when you hit him, it doesn't matter. Suigetsu never hits you back, anyway. And if he did, I would also stop him, for the fact that you can't liquefy yourself. All of you are necessary to team Taka, and I can't afford to lose any of you at the moment."

Karin squealed at what Sasuke had just said, But I didn't find it very sweet at all.

He called us, 'necessary' and said he can't afford to lose us, 'at the moment.' Which means he could in the future. Suigetsu and Juugo noticed this too. Only Karin was squealing over what Sasuke had just said.

Karin turned around and bounced over to me, pointing at my clothes. "Sasuke's right. We're all a team. Come, Sakura. Get changed. I'll fix your hair."

I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Was she planning to murder me when we were alone? I didn't trust her, but I nodded in agreement anyway. I was stronger than she was, having had some of my Chakra restored.

Karin closed the door behind as we got into the change room, and started to brush gently at my hair. I was zipping up my top, and was just about done getting dressed, when she spoke up.

"This pink hair…" She murmured, brushing it gently. A little too gently. "This is what ruined it…"

I was looking at my feet as she brushed my hair for me, and I frowned in confusion at her words.

"It was going so well. But this hair colour is what ruined it…" Her voice grew a little louder, and she started to brush my hair more harshly.

"What do you mean?" I asked her, suddenly wanting to get away from her.

"Those men in the lobby. They were talking about how they saw a pink haired girl running out of the Inn, and that's how Sasuke knew you were running away. However, if they were to say that they saw a brown haired girl running away, that's a normal hair colour, and Sasuke probably would have thought nothing of it, and wouldn't have gone after you so quickly."

I swallowed. "What are you getting at?"

She laughed. "You think I didn't realize you were running away? Im a SENSORY type. One of the best, too. If I couldn't feel someone leaving an Inn, I wouldn't deserve to call myself a sensory ninja."

I stepped away from her brushing my hair, and looked at her curiously. "If you knew, then…"

"Yes, I wanted you to escape. I was the only girl in this group. And I wanted it to stay that way. It's thanks to that stupid hair colour that Sasuke knew it was you from the chatter in the lobby. I wish he never went and saved you from that bear. That bear should have just killed you right there."

I frowned, my fists clenching. "Look, what is your problem? I don't even know you, and yet you hate me! Listen, If it's Sasuke you want, you can have him!" As I said that last sentence, the pain I felt in my chest intensified as I imagined Sasuke and this girl together.

She seemed satisfied with my answer for the moment, and stomped off and back up to the room. It was a shame, really. It would have been nice to have a normal girl on this team to keep me sane.


	7. Dinner and a mission

**Thanks for all the reviews! I never thought I'd get this many, you guys are great! Thanks to all of you who keep reading and reviewing, it really does help me write, and make me smile. :)**

**Special thanks to IvyBean for being the first to review, and leaving so many long and encouraging reviews. Thanks everyone! :D**

**Oh, P.S. Let me know in reviews if you like me writing In first person, or third person better. **__

_I swallowed. "What are you getting at?" _

_She laughed. "You think I didn't realize you were running away? Im a SENSORY type. One of the best, too. If I couldn't feel someone leaving an Inn, I wouldn't deserve to call myself a sensory ninja." _

_I stepped away from her brushing my hair, and looked at her curiously. "If you knew, then…" _

_"Yes, I wanted you to escape. I was the only girl in this group. And I wanted it to stay that way. It's thanks to that stupid hair colour that Sasuke knew it was you from the chatter in the lobby. I wish he never went and saved you from that bear. That bear should have just killed you right there." _

_I frowned, my fists clenching. "Look, what is your problem? I don't even know you, and yet you hate me! Listen, If it's Sasuke you want, you can have him!" As I said that last sentence, the pain I felt in my chest intensified as I imagined Sasuke and this girl together. _

_She seemed satisfied with my answer for the moment, and stomped off and back up to the room. It was a shame, really. It would have been nice to have a normal girl on this team to keep me sane._

_**  
><em>  
>Sakura groaned, her arms twitching slightly under the blanket. They asked the hotel for an extra mat, and she was delighted to see she had the thickest one.<p>

A yawn escaped her lips. She wasn't waking up on her own. Something felt weird. She could tell that it was still dark, and not morning yet. Sakura cracked her eyes open, and they immediately tried to search for the source of whatever weird feeling she had.

Juugo sat by her side, his hands hovering over her stomach, and his brows furrowed in concentration.

Sakura stared at him with half lidded eyes, too weak and tired to open them all of the way. He was draining her chakra. But she wasn't in the mood to say anything.

Closing her eyes again, she let her soft snores fill the quiet room.

**

Sakura's pink locks flew behind her head as she shot up. Unlike when she had woken up in the middle of the night earlier, she was wide awake now.

In fact, it felt like she overslept.

The rosette flopped back down to stretch, raising her arms above her head and twisting her legs. She whimpered in pleasure, and then sat back up again.

Where was everyone? Her eyes grazed the whole room, but there was no sign of anyone.

She shrugged her shoulders, taking this chance to get changed.

The kunoichi approached her backpack that she had brought on the mission. Everyone had said she over packed, but now it seemed to come in handy.

Sakura slipped on her casual clothes : a pale yellow T-shirt, a red vest with the Haruno "O", and dark navy blue skirt. She also slipped on her just below the knee black boots, and made her way over to the full length mirror to check her hair.

"Geh," She said in surprise, grimacing at the reflection she saw. Her bangs were sticking straight up. Huffing, Sakura strode into the bathroom and washed her bangs in the sink, forcing them down.

Once her appearance was reasonable, onto the next problem. Where the hell was everyone?

A vein throbbed in her forehead as she clenched her teeth.

_Are they mocking me? It's impossible for me to run away, we all know that.. So now they're mocking me by trying to give me the chance?_

The pinkette shook it off when she saw a white slip of paper taped to the door. Sakura walked over to it slowly, looking at it curiously. Her green eyes scanned the page. Even after all these years, she could still recognize Sasuke's handwriting.

**At the restaurant in the lobby.**

A soft laugh escaped her lips, and she couldn't help but sweat drop. Short and sweet.

Why were they at the restaurant anyway? It was obvious there wasn't any food in here, but why didn't they just buy food?

_So, I guess they're at the restaurant for breakfast, huh._

The girl thought, drooling slightly when images of bacon appeared in her mind.

Just as she was about to leave, she noticed something.

Outside, the sky was orange, and the moon—although very faint—could be seen.

_What._

**

"Sasukeee…Say, 'aah!'" Karin commanded, holding out a fork with a chocolate covered strawberry to him.

Said boy turned his head away sharply. "I don't like sweets," He stated.

Karin blushed, her cheeks matching her hair. "_Awww!_ Come on, don't be like that, Sasukee! Say, 'Aah!'" The sensory ninja insisted.

A gagging noise could be heard, and Karin whipped her head around to look at Suigetsu.  
>"<strong>Oi! Shut up!<strong> Don't ruin this romantic moment between me and Sasuke!" She roared, her voice suddenly lower.

Suigetsu laughed, looking her straight in the eye. "_Romantic?_ And what do YOU consider to be romantic? Oh yeah, I guess you wouldn't know, considering you've never had a boyfriend…" He smirked, testing her.

Karin's fist came into contact with his cheek, and Juugo sweat dropped.

"Are you guys ever going to get along…?" He asked hopefully, watching the two.

"**NEVER!"** They shouted angrily in unison, and soon after exchanged disgusted glares.

Juugo laughed nervously, but then frowned, averting his attention to the rest of the restaurant.  
>"Hey…Where's Sakura? Do you think she'll come?"<p>

"Who cares about her. None of you need healing right now anyway, so it's fine!" Karin grumbled, popping a chocolate covered strawberry in her mouth.

**

Emerald eyes wondered hopelessly around the huge lobby. Sasuke had said they were at a restaurant, but he didn't say which one. Maybe there was only one.

Finally noticing the restaurant she had passed four times in a row, Sakura entered it hesitantly, not sure if it _was_ a restaurant.

The lights were dimmed, enough to make it romantic for a date, but not enough to make it uncomfortable for family or friends.

There was a bar, where rowdy men and women were sitting at.

Feeling a bit lost, Sakura walked down all of the rows of tables, trying to see which one they were at.

_People are looking at me weird_… She whimpered in her head, quickening her pace a bit.

Finally, she saw a peculiar looking table in the distance. It was a round one, unlike the other rectangles. There were no chairs, just one large couch that curved along with the shape of the table. Finally.

Karin was sitting on the far right, while Sasuke was to her left. Suigetsu was beside Sasuke, and finally, Juugo at the far left. Smiling, Sakura ran over.

"Finally," The rosette huffed in annoyance, sitting next to Juugo on the far left. Juugo smiled at her, and Suigetsu snickered.

"You looked like a lamb that lost Mary," He teased, referring to how she was looking for them earlier. Sakura's eyebrow twitched, and she promptly ignored him.

"Oh. By the way. Why did I finally wake up at 6:45 p.m.?" She asked, a strong tone of accusation in her voice. "I only went to bed at 11."

Juugo was the first to react. He looked down sheepishly, and Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Juugo?" She asked questioningly, not able to contain the scowl that came with his name.

"I'm not sure if you remember, but…" The way he was acting right now, he was reminding her of Hinata. "I was draining your chakra last night, and you kind of wok—"

"I remember."

He went on. "Yeah, well… I by accident drained a little too much. I wasn't paying attention. Everyone else was sleeping, so I had to give you some of _my_ chakra."

Sakura cocked her head to the side. "I'd understand if I slept in cause I lost a lot of chakra, but if you gave me some of yours, why'd I still sleep in so late?"

"Let me explain," He scratched his head. "My chakra's a little…different. It's very potent and strong. I'm actually surprised you're awake now. And I was expecting a fever, at least. You're pretty tough, eh?"

Sakura beamed.

"I didn't want to give you my chakra, but It was either that or death, so…"

Sakura waved her hand at him, shrugging him off. "Oh," she remembered, her eyes widening slightly. "I have a question to ask."

At this, all four heads turned to look at her.

She frowned. "I get how you have to drain my chakra, but could you at least do it when I'm awake? No need to be so sneaky and do it when I'm sleeping every night. I hate waking up and feeling like crap right away."

To her question, although it was asked to all of them, Sakura knew who was going to be the one to make the decision. Everyone turned to look at Sasuke.

He didn't say anything, which gave Juugo the confidence to answer.

"Yeah," He agreed. "That actually works better. You know your chakra better than anyone else, so you know how much chakra you need for an attack. If you're awake, we won't drain too much."

"And If I lie?"

It went silent. Sasuke peered up at her; the dim lights making his eyelashes cast long shadows down his face. It sent a shiver up her sign.

"Got it," she mumbled, getting the message.

"You hungry?" Suigetsu asked, holding up a menu and handing it to her. The kunoichi took it without hesitation.

"I'm starving. It must be from all the chakra you guys drained." Immediately, she called over the waitress and pointed to the things that she wanted on the menu.

It seemed like an eternity before the food came. Sakura stopped counting the ticks of the barely hearable clock. Over the loud men and women, the TV's, and the music, it was nearly impossible. She stopped counting at 10 minutes.

Feeling herself light up as soon as the food came, she dug in, not caring how un lady like she looked. She was hungry, damn it.

No one talked to her while she ate. Suigetsu looked impressed, Karin looked disgusted, Juugo looked shocked, and Sasuke…Sasuke had about as much expression as a rock.

"_Aah!~_ That was great. Thanks for the meal!" Sakura sighed, leaning back in her seat and patting her belly. It only started to sink in how much she had eaten. Looking amidst her empty bowls and cups, her lips opened into a little "o".

"I ate a lot. Now I'm turning into Naruto."

Realizing what she had just said, Sakura's eyebrows furrowed, and she looked down sadly.

She also risked a glance at Sasuke. He was looking at her now. Quickly, she looked down at her hands like they suddenly became very interesting.

"Heey, Sasuke. When's he gonna be here?" Suigetsu asked childishly, resting his head on the wooden table.

Sasuke's eyes wandered around, looking as if he was wondering as well, and his eyebrow twitched. "He better be here soon," He grumbled.

Sakura's curiosity sparked, and she leaned into Juugo. "Who's "_he"_?"

"Madara."

Sakura froze. _He_ was coming here? So casually? to a restaurant?

Her hands clenched to the point where she was sure that her knuckles would rip the skin, and she kept her head down. Madara Uchiha.

"Why?" Sakura whispered, still looking down.

The orange haired man looked over at Sakura worriedly, and leaned back. "Mission."

Mission? They go on missions?

Sakura lifted on her seat slightly as new weight was added next to her. Someone sitting beside her.

Turning her head slightly, her eyes widened when she saw Madara Uchiha, or, Tobi as she knew him. Sitting. Right next to her.

Repulsed, the pink haired girl flinched back, bumping into Juugo.

A muffled chuckle came from beside Sakura, and she turned, disgusted, to look into the only visible blood red eye of the masked man.

"Sorry," He apologized with a wave of his hand. "I'm here to discuss the mission details with Sasuke and his team. Confidential stuff."

Sakura felt a hard thud against the back of her head, and she gasped.

"_Oi!_" Sasuke shouted, standing up.

She passed out.


	8. If looks could kill

**I was going to upload this sooner, but I just ended up drawing on my tablet all night. (ehe..) ; - ;  
>Not to advertise, but I'm guessing if you're here reading this, you like Sasusaku. So if you want, you can check out my deviantART. :D I'll link it at the end of the chapter.<strong>

**Also, THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS. I never even expected to get CLOSE to this much! My goal now is 60, so please review, leave ideas, and tell me what you think. :)**

**So, here's chapter 8! (Oh, and I'll be writing in first person again, unless more people say third.)****  
><strong>****

_**  
><strong>__Mission? They go on missions? _

_Sakura lifted on her seat slightly as new weight was added next to her. Someone sitting beside her. _

_Turning her head slightly, her eyes widened when she saw Madara Uchiha, or, Tobi as she knew him. Sitting. Right next to her. _

_Repulsed, the pink haired girl flinched back, bumping into Juugo. _

_A muffled chuckle came from beside Sakura, and she turned, disgusted, to look into the only visible blood red eye of the masked man. _

_"Sorry," He apologized with a wave of his hand. "I'm here to discuss the mission details with Sasuke and his team. Confidential stuff." _

_Sakura felt a hard thud against the back of her head, and she gasped. _

_"__Oi!__" Sasuke shouted, standing up. _

_She passed out._

******

Hot. It was hot. Boiling, actually.

It felt as though a steaming hot blanket was wrapped around her body, clinging tighter with every second.

She squirmed, but that only added to the beads of sweat that were stapled across her face.

Then, she flinched.

Something extremely cold touched her forehead. Or was it normal temperature? Compared to her over heated body, it seemed as though everything, even the air, was cold and icy.

However, the coldness on her forehead was comforting.

She looked up to find the source, and suddenly another cold thing came down. Then, millions.

Rain.

******

I knew I was awake, but I was stubborn.

Was my body actually overheated, or was it from that dream? I didn't know.

I cracked my eyes open, and was delighted that I didn't feel completely drained of my chakra. I felt drained, sure, but it had nothing to do with chakra.

I sat up slowly, frowning as my head throbbed immediately after, and fell limp back onto the mat. What was wrong with me?

Ignoring whatever discomforts that may occur again, I stood up on shaky legs, letting out a ragged breath, and looked around.

I wasn't surprised to see that I was sitting alone, and looked around for a note. Nothing.

Making my way to the bathroom, I noticed how sensitive my skin was. It hurt when I touched it, and my clothes rubbing against it suddenly seemed like the harshest thing in the world. I winced and shut the door behind me.

Looking in the mirror, I noticed how bagged my eyes were, and my pale skin was washed out and flushed red. I ran my fingers through my tangled hair.

I was a mess. I needed a shower. Although I just went to the hot springs the other day, after running away half naked through the forest, I pretty much just got instantly dirty again.

Gently, I peeled off my clothes and turned on the shower, testing the heat with my fingers. Too cold. I turned it up even more. Still too cold. Finally, I just yanked it to the highest heat it would go. Still cold.

Even if it wasn't too cold, the water that came out of the shower head was too strong, and was hard against my suddenly sensitive skin. I quickly redressed, and made my way to the hot springs.

**

I almost expected to see Karin's clothes in the change room, but wasn't exactly disappointed when they weren't there. So if they all weren't in the hot springs, where were they?

I lowered myself into the hot water, enjoying the nice sting it had to my skin. I let out a soft, inaudible moan, causing some of the other women to look at me funny. I could feel myself blushing, but it probably didn't make much of a difference on my already flushed face.

I looked around, and frowned, noticing something odd.

My vision.

It was getting blurry. All of my chakra was there, so why?

It wasn't for long, but my vision suddenly shook and blurred, causing my eyes to widen. I washed quickly after that.

"Miss,"

I flinched, not expecting to hear an unfamiliar voice so close to me, and looked over my shoulder with half lidded eyes.

Upon seeing me, the lady's eyebrows furrowed, as if what she was seeing was worse than what she had been expecting.

"Yes?" I asked, alarmed by how soft and weak my voice was.

"Are you alright? Maybe you should get out…" She trailed off, suddenly looking very uncomfortable.

I was finished anyway, so I nodded in agreement and raised myself out of the water.

The workers had done my laundry while I was in the springs, and I pulled them out of the dryer, embracing the warmth. I cringed as I slipped on my clothes, my skin even more sensitive now because of the water.

I wobbled back into the main lobby, losing my balance. I bumped into someone, and muttered a quick sorry before I scurried off.

Going back to the room would be too lonely, so I decided to go back to the restaurant. My eyes widened as I suddenly remembered Madara Uchiha.

_That's right… That's why I was sleeping, he knocked me out so that they could discuss the mission…Did they already leave?_

_If they did already go on the mission, that meant they didn't care if I left?_

I shook my head, deciding nothing good came out of when I made assumptions involving Sasuke's team. I realized I was standing in front of the restaurant ready to go in. Money.

I reached into the pocket of my navy blue skirt, to find a handful of change. Enough for a drink, maybe. Which was all I wanted; a nice, cold coke. I wasn't hungry in the least.

As soon as I walked in, I frowned.

The dim lights, which were comforting before, were now just annoying. I was already disorientated, and this didn't help.

I heard someone shout, and my head throbbed in response. I walked to a table further away, but the voice came closer and closer. I turned around angrily to see who was making the nose, but was surprised to see Suigetsu.

"Suigetsu…?" I murmured in surprise, squinting to make out his features.

"Sakura! I saw you walk in. Guess you woke up, huh? Did you just come from the springs? You're all red." He informed me, and I just nodded to tell him I already knew.

He grabbed me by the wrist, and I was alarmed by how cool his skin was. Was he always like this? Well, he did have shark like teeth, I wouldn't be surprised.

He led me back to the round table, letting me slide in first so that I was between him and Juugo.

"We just finished the meeting, and I saw her, so I figured I'd lead her back here."

My eyes widened, and I peered over at Suigetsu curiously. "You_ just_ finished it? How long was the meeting?"

"Well Madara came and then, as you know, knocked you out right afterwards, so Juugo brought you back up to our room. Starting from that point, the meeting took two hours. And since you were asleep the whole meeting, that means you've been out for 2 hours." Suigetsu explained, undressing a passing waitress with his eyes.

"I wouldn't really call it being _asleep_," I grumbled bitterly, rubbing at the spot on my head where Madara had hit.

Suigetsu snickered, and then focused on me again. "Hey, you alright? You want a drink? You're really flushed."

I nodded, getting out the change from my pocket. "Yeah, It's from the springs. Here, I have the money."

Suigetsu looked at it for a few seconds, and then looked up at me almost as if he was seeing if I was serious. I insisted, and shoved my hand full of change towards him.

He erupted into a fit of laughter.

"Cute," the white haired boy breathed, wiping at a tear in his eye.

I raised an eyebrow as he flagged down a waitress.

One came in an instant. They were all too desperate to make an impression on Sasuke, as they made unnecessarily cute faces and poses, also raising their voices higher than they should be. I grimaced. At least Karin kept it to when they were alone, usually.

Suigetsu flicked his index finger up. "One coke," He commanded, and with a nod, she scurried off.

A few moments she returned, a little too eager, and set the coke down in front of him. Suigetsu grabbed it and slid it to me. The waitress saw him give it to me, and looked at me as if she just realized I was there.

She scanned over me, her eyes calculating. She frowned, but then turned back to Suigetsu.  
>"That'll be six dollars," She demanded, holding out her palm expectantly. I felt my mouth drop.<p>

I only had three at most prepared. Why was this place so expensive? It better freakin' cure cancer.

Now I know why Suigetsu was laughing at me.

I saw Karin glare at the girl as she walked off with the money, muttering curses at her back.

"So, about this mission, am I going on it? If so, when are we leaving?"  
>"Of course you're going," Juugo laughed, "Why else would we have—"He paused, and frowned. He probably didn't want to say 'kidnapped,' so he was most likely trying to sugar coat it.<p>

"—Come and got you? You're a medic-nin, and like Sasuke said earlier, all of us are essential to his success." The read head covered up, and flashed me a smile.

**nice.**

I picked up my coke, becoming all too aware of the coldness as my fingers came into contact. I desperately held it up to my dry lips and tongue, drinking it without a straw. I never have, actually. It was just more enjoyable without one.

The ice clicked against the glass as I gulped, and I felt the coke spreading in my chest as I swallowed, the coldness radiating through my body.

I slammed the empty cup on the table.

Karin, Juugo, and Suigetsu were staring at me with raised eyebrows, but I just inhaled a gulp of air as I leaned back, satisfied.

"..About when we're leaving…." Juugo started, getting back to my question, "Tomorrow morning. We have to go as soon as possible."

"It may just be a hunch telling me this—or maybe the throbbing bruise on the back of my head—but I'm guessing I'm not allowed to know the details?"

Juugo nodded and grimaced, as if he remembered something unpleasant, and Suigetsu snickered, apparently enjoying me not being in on it.

That reminded me. "I didn't realize you guys went on missions."

Juugo leaned forward, running his fingers through his orange hair. "We're obviously wanted nin, so we don't do missions for villages like Konoha, or the Sand. We do them with the outskirts of the mist, rain… just the underworld in general. We need money too, you know. Like this Inn, each night is $150, and we've stayed here for a week."

My eyebrows lifted and my eyes widened. Even if they were getting paid well for these missions, that was a bit much.

My eyes drifted to nowhere in particular, and I noticed Juugo looking at me. This would be have been fine, have it not been the fifth time. This also would have been fine, if not for that _expression._

He kept peering over at me nervously, worried. Over what? Me going on the mission? But he was like this before it was mentioned. He also looked guilty.

I liked Juugo and all, but to be frank, this was starting to piss me off.

"We leave tomorrow at sunrise. I'm going to bed."

Sasuke announced, not bothering to slide past Karin, but instead disappearing in a flash.

I looked at the spot where he previously sat, and I clutched at my chest, my head suddenly not the only thing that was hurting.

**Juugo's P.O.V.**

_As soon as Madara's fist came into contact with the back of Sakura's pink head, a small gasp escaped her pink lips and her entire body went limp._

_I stared wide eyed, too scared to protest or speak up for fear of my life._

_Sakura slumped over the table, dishes clanging._

_"Oi!" Sasuke shouted, standing up._

_"Hmm?" Madara probed, and I imagined him raising an eyebrow. His crimson eye narrowed as he locked eyes with Sasuke. "Something the matter, Sasuke?"_

_Sasuke's nostrils were slightly flared, his teeth clenching together as his now blood red eyes stared into Madara's equally red eyes. His clenched fists at his sides gradually loosened as he calmed down, but his eyes were still staring at Madara with a word that could only be described as hatred._

_"Sasukee~!—"_

_"I had no choice," Madara shrugged, and gestured to an unconscious Sakura. "She can't hear the details."_

_I looked at Sakura's limp body. I didn't try to help her. At least Sasuke's doing something…_

_I clenched my teeth._

_"C-couldn't we have just told her to go to the next room…?"_

_Madara looked down at me with a squinted eye, and shivers rolled through my body. I looked down at my lap._

_"This isn't your team, it's __**mine**__," Sasuke said in his cool voice, though there was fire burning behind the ice._

_Madara waved him off. "Yeah, yeah. And they're all essential to your team. But we all know __**that **__wouldn't kill her, not even give her a concussion."_

_"Don't do it again." There was a hint of finality in Sasuke's voice._

_"Oh?" Madara tested, "And If I do?"_

_"I'll kill you."_

_I looked down at Sasuke's fingers. They were twitching, as if he wanted to kill him right here and now. People in the restaurant froze to watch, and security was standing by._

_Madara chuckled. "Okay, okay, You're right, it's your team—I'm sorry." He apologized, lifting his hand and knotting it through Sakura's beautiful silky light pink hair._

_A look of disgust appeared on the black haired boys face._

_Sasuke watched him like a hawk. If looks could kill._

_Suddenly, Sasuke's now pitch black eyes were on me. I looked up at him curiously._

_"Juugo. Take Sakura."_

_He hissed sharply, And I nodded._

_When he said her name, I noticed how her name rolled off his tongue so perfectly. With us, it sounded unnatural, like it was being forced. Maybe because he hasn't known us for too long. But with her, even just by him saying her name, and her likewise, you could tell they were old teammates._

_A part of me stung for Sakura, and I started to imagine what I would have done if Kimimaro had just abandoned me. I felt my eyes sting, and a whole new level of sympathy for Sakura._

_I felt Sasuke's growing impatience, so I got up to collect Sakura. Madara was still touching her, and I was scared to interrupt. I looked over at Sasuke to see if it was okay to grab her anyway, but he wasn't paying attention to me._

_His eyes were intent on Madara, paying attention to every twitch of his muscles. Sasuke looked like a predator stalking his prey. As soon as Madara made a funny move, Sasuke would leap._

_I awkwardly slid by Madara, and picked Sakura up bridal style. I held my breath as I walked by Madara, and exhaled when I left the restaurant area._

_I suddenly became aware again that Sakura was in my arms, and I looked down at her face. It was very peaceful, but more than anything, gorgeous. That boy that she was with, the blonde one, in those few seconds I saw him I could tell he really cared for her._

_Well I could certainly see why. Not only looks, everything about her. She was just charming._

_I never had much contact with women, Karin being pretty much the first to get close to me. So that obviously didn't give me a good impression of them. But after meeting Sakura…_

_I blushed slightly._

_Were they all so soft?_

**

**I hope you liked this chapter! It was fun writing as Juugo because since he likes her, I got to over exaggerate on her features. "Beautiful, silky light pink hair." XDD**

**Anyway, here's my deviant ART is dokiidoki, if you search it on Google it'll show up. C:**

**I hope you keep reading and reviewing ^^**


	9. Fever

**Here's the next chapter!  
>Thanks for all of the favorites and story alerts, as well.<br>Don't be afraid to leave reviews, I love reading them. :)**

**Enjoy.**

******

_"We leave tomorrow at sunrise. I'm going to bed." _

_Sasuke announced, not bothering to slide past Karin, but instead disappearing in a flash. _

_I looked at the spot where he previously sat, and I clutched at my chest, my head suddenly not the only thing that was hurting._

******

Everyone was still sleeping when my eyes snapped open. It was still dark, the sun nowhere to be seen.

I covered my mouth with my hand, and got up shakily, trying my best to tiptoe by everyone. Once I was in the bathroom, I shut it softly behind me.

I turned the shower on so they didn't hear me, and crouched down by the toilet and emptied whatever I had in my stomach.

I dry heaved for a few minutes afterwards, but finally flushed, heading straight for my toothbrush.

I let the shower run, lying on the ground of the smooth, cold tiles. They stung against my overheated skin, but I didn't care. My breath came out ragged, but I felt better once I had vomited.

This was weird, though. I never got sick, hardly. I shrugged it off and looked at the shower. If they heard it on, they'd probably ask why I came out with dry hair. I stripped and decided to take a quick shower, hopefully washing away the fever I had.

Once I was washed and dressed, I opened the door. The sun was just starting to peak out of the clouds, and everyone was up and awake, readying their things.

"Man, why do girls shower so much…" Suigetsu muttered as he got his sword, referring to me.

"Karin's a girl," I rebutted, and I heard a snicker from him, followed by '_hardly_.'

There was a lot of screaming and kicking after that, and I cringed, my brain pounding against the inside of my head.

I felt a pat on my back and turned around to see Juugo, smiling at me. I forced a smile back, and went to gather my own things.

******

"Let's go," Sasuke ordered, stepping out of the Inn's entrance.

I looked up at the sky. It was 5:46, and still dark. The sun was hardly visible.

Unlike before how everything felt cold, now everything just felt _hot_.

Unbearably hot.

I didn't want to go, but I couldn't tell them I was sick, either. What if they found me useless and killed me?

I sucked it up.

"So, where are we headed?" I asked, dragging my feet along the dirt. It's been about an hour since we've left the Inn.

"We can't tell you the destination, or the directions in case you guess," Karin started, "But from where we are now, we'll be passing through a desert soon, so be prepared."

My walking slowed even more, until I stopped completely. I was frozen on the spot.

Sasuke turned to look back at me, his Akatsuki robe fluttering in the breeze. The others turned to look, too.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" Juugo asked, though it seemed like he already knew what the problem was, for some reason.

I laughed bitterly. The desert.

Perfect.

"Nothing," I brushed it off, "Let's go."

My pace was the slowest, walking about a meter behind everyone else. I tried to walk faster but it was too tiring. I had many herbal antidotes in my bag, but as luck would have it, none for fevers.

I packed this bag expecting to fight and be injured. Not getting a fever.

I dazed in and out, my eyes concentrated on my feet, and my eyelids occasionally drooping lower.

"…doesn't look so good…" I heard Suigetsu murmur to the others. Upon looking up, I found that his eyes were on me.

My eyes widened for a second in surprise, but then I ran to catch up to them.

"No, I'm fine. My Hokage had me on a vacation before I came here, so I'm not used to waking up so early yet." I lied, looking down do that they couldn't see how flushed my face was up close.

When I looked up, Sasuke turned his head slightly and was staring at me.

****  
><strong>

Whatever I had imagined walking through a dessert with a fever was going to be like, this was 1000 times worse.

I looked up warily at the sun, shielding my eyes from its harmful rays. Judging by how it has moved, about two hours had gone by.

As if my legs weren't tired and worn enough, walking through sand wasn't an easy task, even if you were in normal health.

I bumped into Suigetsu's back when he stopped, and backed up looking confused. Why'd he stop? I noticed everyone was in their fighting stances.

I doubted they were just posing.

Great. A nearby enemy.

I bluffed, slipping out my black gloves and sliding them on my sensitive hands. As the fabric brushed against the skin and I cringed, I couldn't even imagine smashing the ground.

My eyes scanned the area, doing the best I could. But I relaxed after I remembered Karin was a sensory type, so I'd leave the pinpointing the enemies location kind of stuff to her.

"Sakura!"

I looked up just in time to see Juugo fling himself at me and crash into me. We both fell to the desert floor with a thud.

I gasped, my sensitive skin intensifying what would normally be un painful, to something very painful.

I looked up at Juugo, who was on top of me and shielding me with his body. My expression demanded an explanation. He gestured to a Kunai that sat a few meters away. So he threw me to the ground so I wouldn't get hit.

We both got up and I patted myself off.

"I could have dodged that," I lied. I was groggy, and didn't even feel it coming. "I wouldn't be able to call myself a ninja if I couldn't dodge something like that."

Juugo nodded in acknowledgement and backed off, readying himself again.

"Sasuke," Karin said, her voice sounding the most serious I've ever heard it—which isn't saying much.

"Yeah, I know where they are. Take Sakura and you two go to cover," He commanded, and his blade was in his hand in a flash.

Karin appeared beside me and grabbed me harshly by the arm. I bit my lip to refrain from making any noises as she pulled me along.

We hid behind a dead tree, and I peeked out from behind it to see Sasuke and the others.

Perfect timing. As soon as Karin and I had hid here, they all swarmed in.

I guessed Karin couldn't fight since she was here hiding. She was probably only good for sensing chakra's. Me, on the other hand…

I paused for a brief moment.

Wait. Why did Sasuke tell Karin to take me behind the tree as well? Did he think I couldn't fight, or… Or did he know I was under the weather?

I haven't been making it too obvious; only complaining in my head every now and then.

I clenched my fist, suddenly in the mood to fight. Maybe he really didn't think I could fight. I stood up.

It's just a fever, I could still suck it up and fight.

How many enemies were there? My emerald eyes counted 17, including the limp bodies on the ground. There were only five still standing. I slid back down.

Fine. I won't go out now. But I am next time.

******

"So why were those guys after us randomly?" Suigetsu asked, sipping loudly on his straw. I watched his Adams apple bob as he glugged the water down, and I licked my lips.

He saw me, and offered it to me. I crossed my arms and turned my head the other way. He snickered.

"They were most likely just thugs who got lost out here and wanted to rob us for any food or water we have, or it means we're getting too close to their village." Sasuke murmured, pulling the hood of his cloak up to shield him from the sun.

Karin ran to catch up to Sasuke.  
>"Sasuke! You were great in that fight! You didn't even have to use any chakra!" Karin praised him endlessly. I tuned her out, instead focusing on the whistles of the wind.<p>

I swayed briefly.

My mouth opened wider to try and suck in as much air as I could manage. My fever was burning me up, and after three hours in the desert, I couldn't take much more.

I looked up at Juugo's back, hoping to calm down.

There were two of him.

Juugo was walking side by side with himself, and I blinked and rubbed my eyes. When I looked up again, there was only one.

Okay, I needed rest.

But I made it this far, so I sucked in another breath of the dry air, occasionally looking at Suigetsu's water as we trudged on.

_Sluuurp._

I peered over at Suigetsu again, watching him finishing off the last of his water.

The heat was making me tired. I licked my dry lips.

My knees buckled momentarily, and I stumbled forward, but caught myself before I fell.

I looked up at the bright sun, and quickly found that was a bad idea, and averted my eyes to the sand at my feet.

Suddenly, it came up to meet my face.

******

**Suigetsu's P.O.V**

I found great amusement in the fact that the pink haired girl kept flickering her eyes over to me. Or more specifically, my water.

I slurped loud and obnoxiously, enjoying the parched look on her face. Not only that, but she was extremely flushed. Sure, we were all hot, but she…whoa.

I finished off the rest of my water, throwing my head back and letting the last few drops plop into my mouth. I looked to my left for her reaction.

I watched as the little cherry blossom fluttered to the ground.

"Oi!" I yelled, confused.

I rushed to Sakura who was laying face down on the sand. Did she enjoy being unwillingly unconscious?

Everyone turned around at my voice, and Juugo rushed to Sakura as well. Karin and Sasuke stayed where they were.

Juugo started flippin' his shit, lifting her off the ground and brushing her hair out of her face.

I watched with a wide grin as his eyes frantically scanned her face, and his hands desperately clung to her.

_Looks like somebody has a little crush._

I couldn't blame him. But I _could_ tease him.

"I know why she fainted…" I whispered solemnly, causing not just Juugo's eyes, but Karin and Sasuke's eyes on me as well.

Apparently Juugo was too impatient for my epic silence, because his voice cut through the silence like a razor. "Why?"

I took Sakura out of his arms and stared at her face. Her features were more delicate than Karin's, I noticed. Especially when she was peaceful in her own little world of unconsciousness.

I nodded to myself. "Yes, I'm sure of it now," I paused, looking at her a bit more. "She fainted from my alarming good looks."

Juugo's fist instinctively smashed into my cheek, which of course didn't hurt at all.

"We still have about an hour or so until we reach the village," Sasuke said emotionlessly, "So we'll have to carry her."

"I'll do it," Juugo offered right off the bat, and I raised a teasing eyebrow at him, causing his face to become even more red.

"No," Sasuke said, and he took a few steps towards us. "I will."

My eyes widened. No friggin' way.

"Wha? You want to carry her?" I made a _suggestive_ facial expression, but it was promptly wiped off by Sasuke's glare.

I looked over at Juugo, and his eyebrow was twitching. There was only one word to describe him right now. He was feeling jealousy over a girl for the first time. How cute.

"Why?" Juugo asked, nice and to the point.

Sasuke looked down at him, his black eyes even darker from the shade that his hood provided.

"Karin doesn't have the strength to carry Sakura for an hour, Suigetsu won't want to, and also like Karin, will have to take breaks. Especially now that he's out of water. And you should know why you can't." Sasuke snipped, and passed Juugo and made his way to the pinkette.

Juugo bowed his head and touched his curse mark, a grimace on his face.

I watched as Sasuke's fingers slid around her body and lifted her up. Juugo watched as well, a grimace still plastered on his face.

Man, this was weird. So much drama.

Sasuke was standing now, the unconscious girl bridal style in his arms.

I looked at Sasuke, and studied the protective look on his face.

I looked at Juugo, and saw the jealousy on his face.

Man, girls were so much trouble.

******

**Sakura's P.O.V**

I was vaguely aware of something refreshingly cold on my forehead.

My eyes shot open, and I looked around, confused that I wasn't in the desert.

I was in a room like the one in the previous Inn, though the colour schemes and decorations of the room were different depending on the country.

Looking around the room, I didn't notice a flash of orange in my vision.

Juugo was sitting cross legged beside my mat, waiting for me to wake up, probably. Or he volunteered to watch me, considering we were the only ones in the room.

"You're awake," He sounded breathless, as if he had been holding his breath the whole time I was unconscious.

I nodded and peeled the towel off my face.

"So, a fever, huh?"

I looked at him, surprised. "You knew?"

"Before you did." He said bluntly, and I cocked a brow.

He sighed. "The chakra that I put in your system In exchange for the amount that you lost," He paused, watching as the spark of understanding lit up in my eyes. "I told you it would have negative effects. It would have come sooner or later. I'm just glad you're still alive."

My eyes widened. His chakra was really that dangerous? I thought of Naruto's blazing red Chakra from the kyuubi.

More dangerous than that?

My eyes narrowed. What was he? I remembered when I first met him, and I saw that suppressed bloodlust in his eyes.

I inched myself away a little but, suddenly not wanting to be near him.

"You're feeling better now, right?"

"Why? What'd you do?"

Juugo cringed, hurt that I assumed he did something. I realized how harsh I had said it, and suddenly wanted to comfort him. But I wouldn't know what to say anyway.

"Nothing. It's just that the effects don't last long. So I figured it'd be over by now."

I nodded in understanding, flopping back down on the mat.

I looked up at the orange haired man from where I was lying, studying him. His mouth was twitching, and I raised an eyebrow, sitting back up again.

"I'm going to wash my face," I announced, shutting the bathroom door behind me. I turned the tap on and splashed the cold liquid to my face.

Pinching my skin, I was satisfied that It wasn't sensitive anymore, and left the bathroom in confidence.

"Juugo?"

Even I could hear the worry in my voice.

Juugo was hunched over on the ground, trembling violently.

I rushed over. What was wrong with him?

I bent down by him, my hands hovering near him, unsure of how to help.

"_Get away_!" he roared, sending me flying across the room with a flick of his wrist.

"Augh!" My back slammed into the wooden walls, the back of my head also taking impact. I slid to the floor, my vision momentarily blurred. I blinked rapidly, only getting up when It returned to normal.

Juugo was panting, and I noticed his left hand had gone a grey purple colour. I clenched my fists.

"…Juugo?"

I took a cautious step towards him, on guard in case he tried to hurl me again. This time I would be prepared.

What was happening to him?

I sidestepped around him, trying to get a better view of his face.

Well, I got what I asked for.

He suddenly uncurled from the hunched position he was in, throwing himself at me.

Juugo pressed me against the wall, both of his hands pinning mine against the wall. I tried to move my arms, and even when putting chakra into them, found it useless. I still hadn't regained my full strength.

"Juugo!" I spat angrily, squirming against his hold. "What's the matter with you? Let me go." I commanded.

He looked up, and I noticed half of his face was that same grey purple colour. I sucked in a sharp breath. It looked like Sasuke's curse mark.

I blinked , my eyes stinging as I remembered the horrible memories of the curse mark consuming Sasuke. "Juugo! Don't let that thing take you over! Fight!" I practically screamed, and also listened to my own words, still trying to break from his hold.

He pressed his lips against my neck, and my eyes widened, my eyebrows set in a deep frown.  
>"Juugo, you…" I bit my tongue angrily, trying to refrain from being too mean. I knew this wasn't him. But with the curse mark, Sasuke wanted to kill. Why was Juugo doing…this?<p>

I felt something wet on my neck and noticed he was now gliding his tongue along the skin of my neck. I shivered, but also grimaced.

He raised his head, as if he was planning to go for my lips. I turned my head away sharply. I'll be damned if my first kiss is taken like this.

"Sakura…" He grumbled, pressing his body against mine. I couldn't help the noise of disgust I made. I liked Juugo and all, but not once did I think of him like this.

"Juugo!" I screamed trying to raise my knee to his sensitive spot, but was dismayed when I couldn't bend it that much.

His hand reached under my shirt, and my eyes widened, fully taking in the situation now.

This was Juugo. But it wasn't. If he was in his right mind, he wouldn't be doing this. If I let him do what he wanted to do now, he would hate himself. And I would hate him. I had to stop him.

"J-Juugo! Let…go!" I shoved, but to no avail. "Why are you doing this?"

He didn't answer. The only thing coming out of his mouth were his strangled breaths. He reached his hand down to my thigh and grazed his hand there.

My fists were tingling, dying to punch him. I would if I could.

Juugo put his lips to my ear. "Sakura…"

My teeth clenched. "_Juugo!_—"

"Juugo."

My head shot up and my eyes widened as they zeroed in on the figure at the door.

Hesitantly, Juugo turned his head to meet the boy standing at the door.

"Sasuke," Juugo greeted, his voice tight, but he showed no sign of releasing me.

Sasuke was alone, standing at the doorway in his Akatsuki cloak. He activated his sharingan, and my mouth opened.

They weren't going to fight…would they?

"Hmph," Sasuke smirked, his fingers twitching. "When you're like this, you usually calm down when I step in."

Juugo shrugged, his grip on me still not loosening. If anything, getting tighter.

Sasuke slid out his katana and twirled it skillfully, his fingers dancing with the blade.

Juugo's hand suddenly turned into some sort of claw, and now his full attention was on Sasuke.

With his claw hand, he tossed me aside, sending me into the wall yet again, causing a few cracks to be made.

Sasuke's eyes flashed to me and then back to Juugo, his hand tightening on the sword.

"I'm going to enjoy this."


	10. Sasuke vs Juugo

**A lot of you were talking about the last chapters cliff hanger, so I wrote it faster than I usually do. xD  
>Plus, I was kind of anxious to write this one anyway.<br>AND WOOT. Got over 60 reviews! Thanks you guys! :D  
>special thanks to Kuromu Dokuro for reviewing on every single chapter. xDD<strong>

**don't be scared to review . ;D**

**ENJOY~**

******__

_Sasuke was alone, standing at the doorway in his Akatsuki cloak. He activated his sharingan, and my mouth opened. _

_They weren't going to fight…would they? _

_"Hmph," Sasuke smirked, his fingers twitching. "When you're like this, you usually calm down when I step in." _

_Juugo shrugged, his grip on me still not loosening. If anything, getting tighter. _

_Sasuke slid out his katana and twirled it skillfully, his fingers dancing with the blade. _

_Juugo's hand suddenly turned into some sort of claw, and now his full attention was on Sasuke. _

_With his claw hand, he tossed me aside, sending me into the wall yet again, causing a few cracks to be made. _

_Sasuke's eyes flashed to me and then back to Juugo, his hand tightening on the sword. _

_"I'm going to enjoy this."_

******__

**Sasuke's P.O.V**_**  
><strong>_

I heard her screaming from the lobby. Really, If Juugo was doing something to her and trying to get away with it, the least he could do was cover her mouth.

I _'tsk'_ ed, and scanned the lobby. Nobody seemed to notice, and I raised a calm eyebrow. You didn't have to be a ninja to be able to hear screams coming from the top floors.

I looked over at Karin and Suigetsu. They didn't hear her yells either.

Honestly, was I the only one that heard her?

I shot Suigetsu a sharp glare and gestured to the town outside the lobby.

"Suigetsu. You and Karin try to gather information to help our mission."

Suigetsu raised his eyebrow, and a moronic expression appeared on his face.  
>"<em>Ha<em>? Alone? with _her_? What about you?"

I started walking away without giving him an explanation.

I stepped up the stairs calmly, taking my time. Arriving closer to Juugo and Sakura, I heard more and more of their conversation. Sakura was telling him to stop.

It was not in Juugo's nature to continue doing something when told not to. Unless of course he was under the influence of that bloody curse mark.

He was probably trying to kill her right now.

My legs slowly brought me up each stair, still taking my time.

Sakura could hopefully hold her ground until I got there. If she dies, guess she wasn't worth recruiting.

Finally arriving outside the room, my ear perked up.

Nothing. There were no more yells. No crashes. Only little grunts and Sakura's occasional protest.

It didn't sound like any fight to me.

I shoved open the door, not knowing what to expect anymore.

As soon as my eyes saw the scene that was being played out in front of me, my black eyes suddenly turned red without my permission.

They locked onto Juugo instantly, once again, without my permission. But I didn't mind.

Juugo carried on, not turning to me even after he felt my presence. My eyebrow twitched.

"Juugo," I said calmly, my hands twitching. I suddenly had the urge to strangle him.

At my voice, Sakura perked up and her emerald eyes zoomed in on me, but my eyes stayed on Juugo's back.

Finally not being able to put it off any longer, the red head hesitantly turned to me, but still held Sakura where she was.

"Sasuke," He greeted.

"Hmph," I responded. He was so cocky. The corners of my lips were curving upwards.  
>"When you're like this, you usually calm down when I step in."<p>

Juugo gave a slight shrug of his shoulder, still showing no sign of releasing the medic. He would regret it if he killed her. After what I was going to do to him, he'd better pray Sakura will heal him.

My fingers twitched anxiously.

I reached for my Katana, letting my fingers glide with its movement.

Now Juugo's full attention was on me, and he tossed Sakura aside and sent her crashing into the wall.

For a split second my vision tinted red as I looked from Sakura to Juugo, my hand on the Katana tightening.

I knew I couldn't kill Juugo. He was necessary. But I could beat him unconscious.

My lips curved into a sick smirk as I imagined the many ways to mangle his body.

"I'm going to enjoy this," I murmured, and appeared behind him in a flash.

******  
><strong><br>Sakura's P.O.V**

I wiped the blood from my mouth and brought my hand to my back, letting my green chakra flow into the wounded area.

I looked for Sasuke, but my eyes widened when I saw he was gone.

My eyes scanned the room frantically, not finding him anywhere. Surely he didn't leave, right?

A gasp escaped my mouth as he suddenly appeared behind the orange haired boy. Sasuke was smirking, and raised his sword, quickly bringing it down and slashing Juugo's leg.

I covered my mouth and looked at the wound. From Sasuke's attacks, it was obvious he wasn't trying to kill him. But he was trying to put him in a lot of pain.

Sasuke was hitting all of the worst areas.

Juugo spun to hit Sasuke back, but was dismayed when the raven haired boy was no longer there.

I looked up and spotted Sasuke on the ceiling. Blue chakra flooded out of his feet, and he pushed off the ceiling, crashing into Juugo with such force that they almost went through to the floor below.

Sasuke grabbed Juugo by the front of the shirt and, like Juugo did to me, whipped him across the room with one arm.

I watched as Juugo spat out blood and stared at Sasuke with hatred.

Instead of running directly to Sasuke, he copied him.

He ran towards the wall, jumping onto it and pushing off, flying towards the Uchiha.

Juugo sent his claw smashing into Sasuke's chest, but Sasuke took advantage of the hit and grabbed his claw hand, spinning Juugo around, eventually sending him into the kitchen.

Juugo managed to catch himself before the fall became too bad, but he still took impact.

The red head started laughing, and I raised an eyebrow. I didn't like this Juugo at all.

He started to run towards Sasuke, and I almost told him to stop. Such a direct approach wouldn't work on Sasuke, and he should know that.

But suddenly Juugo changed his course and was headed for me. I wasn't expecting this, and quickly tried to ready myself.

I blinked and in the next moment Sasuke was in front of me, kicking Juugo square in the chest, and sending him crashing into the opposite wall.

The raven haired boy started weaving some hand signs, and I swallowed, Juugo and I staring in anticipation.

Nothing happened.

But Sasuke still seemed satisfied.

Juugo yelled and once again charged for Sasuke. This time he seriously headed for the direct approach, his rage not allowing him to make proper battle strategies.

I cringed and looked away as Sasuke took out his sword, piercing Juugo through the shoulder blade.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the Uchiha also electrified the blade, and Juugo screamed as he fell to the ground.

I was looking away, and noticed a crow outside of the window on a tree. First only one, but soon there ware at least 20 all around the same tree.

It seemed as though they were peering in with their creepy eyes and trying to get a view of the fight.

My attention was pulled back to the fight when a blood curling scream erupted out of Juugo's mouth, and I looked over to see Sasuke's hand pierced right through the right side of Juugo's chest.

I frowned and bit my lip.

_Sasuke, you better not kill him…_

Juugo lay on the floor quivering, and spat out about a cup of blood.

He was panting, and looked up at Sasuke, who was looking down at him.

Once again Juugo started laughing, and stood up, directing his attention to the window.

"You forgot," He said sounding quite full of himself. "The animals are on my side!"

He did a couple of hand seals and an odd noise.

Sasuke barely blinked.

"We're on the top floor. You're really expecting a bear to just fly through the window?" Sasuke questioned, trying to deflate his confidence. But Juugo's chaotic smile stayed plastered on his lips.

"Birds!" He shouted, lifting his arms up in exasperation. "There are tons out there, and they're coming to my aid!"

The black haired boy smirked, and I had to agree.

Sasuke could just use his fireball jutsu or something and roast all of them at once.

But once again, Juugo's chaotic state of mind didn't allow him to strategize properly.

A crow entered the window and landed on Juugo's shoulder. Just one at first, but then two, three…

Soon the whole room was full of them. On Juugo's head, shoulders, arms, and even the floor could hardly be seen anymore.

The raven haired boy didn't even blink.

Juugo clenched his teeth and pointed to Sasuke. _"Go!"_ he bellowed.

The birds started to flap their wings and screech.

I cringed and covered my ears at the terrible noises.

The crow on Juugo's shoulder started to peck at his neck. Then the one perched on his head. And soon after, the ones on his arms were pecking away as well.

I watched horrified as all of the birds, even the ones on the floor, gravitated towards Juugo and started to peck and claw at him, releasing terrible screams as they did so.

Juugo was screaming as well, his voice being drowned out by the birds.

My emerald eyes couldn't even see him anymore. He was completely buried by the crows.

My eyes started to sting, and I couldn't handle the blood curling screams anymore.

"_Sto_—"

Sasuke made the same hand seal from earlier that seemed to do nothing, and suddenly all of the birds disappeared.

The orange haired boy lay on the mat panting. A puddle of blood surrounded him, and there were large gashes and scratch marks all over his body.

I wiped harshly at my eyes as I made my way over at him, looking at his mangled figure on the floor.

"Sakura…" He whispered in a weak voice. I bent down to him and started to heal him, happy that the curse seal had subsided. "I'm sorry…"

I shook my head and focused solely on healing him. Juugo looked up at Sasuke, who was watching us.

"What did you do…?" Juugo asked in his hoarse voice, and Sasuke started to leave the room.

"I knew you were going to resort to calling your little animals, so earlier in the fight, I summoned a flock of my crows to watch and wait."

Sasuke closed the door behind him, and Juugo fainted.

******

Juugo lay on his mat. I had wiped all of his wounds with water and healed them. Though the crows had pecked and scratched almost every visible surface of his skin.

The best I could do with my medical jutsu was reduce them to angry red scars, but the rest had to heal on its own.

The wound that took the longest to heal, and was undoubtedly the most fatal, was the hole Sasuke had pierced through his chest.

If any medic besides me or Tsunade-sama were here, he would have died.

Sasuke, Karin, and Suigetsu were all in the room as well.

Sasuke was sitting up and leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. He appeared to be having a nap.

Karin and Suigetsu were having a thumb war or something, and I was waiting patiently for Juugo to wake up.

I wanted an explanation for what happened.

I healed him a little more than necessary to try and make him wake up faster, but it didn't work.

_It's been about two hours since their fight._

Suigetsu and Karin asked what happened, but Sasuke didn't tell them anything.  
>After that they turned to me for an explanation, and I made up something quick, telling them some birds just randomly went against him.<p>

Which was partly true.

They didn't buy it though. And even without our exclamations, I think they knew what happened.

My eyes shot to Juugo when I heard a small grunt. I backed away to give him some room.

His eyes snapped open, and he shot up, looking around. He looked disorientated, his brown eyes scanning madly.

I guessed he was looking for me, although I was right by his side.

"Juugo," I said softly.

His eyes zeroed in on me, just realizing I was there, and he bowed his head in shame.

Even though he just woke up, and was a little out of it at that, I still wanted an explanation.

"Juugo…what happened back there?"

The red head stayed silent for a few moments before answering.

"Im assuming you mean _before_ the fight."

I nodded, balling my hands into fists in anticipation.

I noticed Sasuke lazily open one of his eyes and look at Juugo.

"The curse mark…" He started, and I held up a hand.

"You don't have to explain it all, I've seen it before." I informed him, and he nodded, looking over to Sasuke.

"The curse mark takes your desires, and amplifies it by about one-hundred. Most people who have the curse mark are seeking power, which means when it activates, that need for power amplifies and becomes the raw desire to kill," He explained, and looked over to me.

I was staring at him, waiting for him to go on.

"Power is usually on the curse mark users mind, but I guess something else was on my mind," He muttered, and I cocked a brow.

"It amplified my desire, and that's why I did what I did."

It took me a second. I stared at him with a confused expression, and replayed what he had just said to me in my head.

My eyes widened when I understood what he was saying, and I lifted my hand to my mouth.

"Juugo, you…"

The orange haired boy stood up and stretched, wincing when the pain from the recent wounds resurfaced.

"Thanks for healing me, Sakura." He acknowledged, throwing me a quick glance, but then headed for the door.

"I'm going to get some fresh air," He announced as he walked out, leaving the door wide open.

I watched as he dragged his feet and left the room. Sasuke watched him with expressionless eyes as he went, and as soon as Juugo was gone, closed his eyes and resumed his nap.

Suigetsu looked at the door where Juugo had just left from, and then looked at me.  
>"Amplified his <em>desires<em>?" He said dubiously, a perverted smile soon after creeping onto his lips.

I still sat unmoving and staring at where he stood just moments ago, my hands still balled into tight fists.

"I'll be right back," I announced, getting up and following him out the door. I had no shoes on but I didn't care.

I found Juugo sitting on one of the benches right by the entrance of the Inn, and I took a seat beside him.

"Sakura…" He said, shame still in his voice, but he also seemed surprised that I came out to see him.

"Juugo," I swallowed, trying to decide how to word it. "I understand that wasn't you back there, so I'm not holding anything against you, just to let you know."

It looked as though 500 pounds was just taken off of him, and he stopped bowing his head and sat up straight.

I fidgeted, my eyebrows creased. It was a little awkward now that I knew he…'liked' was a childish way to put it. But now that I knew he liked me…

"Sakura."

Juugo's tone was different now. Serious. I turned to look at him with clear confusion plastered on my face.

As soon as I turned to look at him, I saw that he was leaning in to me, his eyes semi closed and studying me. I felt a bead of sweat appear on my face, and I swallowed.

He was trying to kiss me.

I liked Juugo and all, but I didn't, and don't think, I ever would think of him that way. My eyes shifted nervously as I looked around.

I didn't want to back away, because that would hurt his feelings. But if I didn't, he may think I like him back.

Plus, I didn't want my first kiss to be with someone I don't have romantic feelings for.

The red head was close enough so that I could now feel his hot breath on my lips, and I bit down hard on them, trying to decide whether to sacrifice my first kiss, or hurt his feelings.

"Sakura,"

A calm emotionless voice cut through the silence.

Me and Juugo looked up, only to see a shirtless Sasuke leaning casually out of the window from the top floor. Was he watching us the whole time?

"I need healing. Come."

Sasuke disappeared back into the room, and I couldn't help but feel kind of thankful for his sudden need for my medical treatment.

I gave Juugo a quick glance, muttering a sorry before I raced off awkwardly. 


	11. Respect your elders

**WAHA! Sorry for not uploading for a while.  
>And there are some reviews I didn't respond to, and I'm really sorry. ; - ;<br>And to think it was not too long ago I was asking for 60 reviews.  
>Almost one hundred now? Holy HUDEGHD.<br>Thanks, you guys. xD**

**Enjoooy, chaptah ten!**

**woops, 11***

**__

_He was trying to kiss me. _

_I liked Juugo and all, but I didn't, and don't think, I ever would think of him that way. My eyes shifted nervously as I looked around. _

_I didn't want to back away, because that would hurt his feelings. But if I didn't, he may think I like him back. _

_Plus, I didn't want my first kiss to be with someone I don't have romantic feelings for. _

_The red head was close enough so that I could now feel his hot breath on my lips, and I bit down hard on them, trying to decide whether to sacrifice my first kiss, or hurt his feelings. _

_"Sakura," _

_A calm emotionless voice cut through the silence. _

_Me and Juugo looked up, only to see a shirtless Sasuke leaning casually out of the window from the top floor. Was he watching us the whole time? _

_"I need healing. Come." _

_Sasuke disappeared back into the room, and I couldn't help but feel kind of thankful for his sudden need for my medical treatment. _

_I gave Juugo a quick glance, muttering a sorry before I raced off awkwardly. _

******

I could feel his eyes on my back as I walked off, and swallowed, my body stiff. I was thankful once I was inside of the inn, that the windowless door separated his eyes from my body.

I relaxed once I surely heard the click of the closing door, and put my hand on my lips.

They were still tingling from his breath.

I rubbed at them harshly, trying to make it stop. It was uncomfortable.

I took into notice that people were starting to give me curious glances every now and then, so I made my way to Sasuke.

I wriggled my toes as my legs brought me up the stairs slowly.

It was going to be so awkward around Juugo now. At most I thought of him as an older brother of sorts, one I never had.

With Naruto, it came so naturally to me when I shot him down. But with Juugo…

I shuddered. It's not that I liked him which made it hard to shoot him down, but he was just so gentle and caring…

But I can't lead him on. Since Sasuke interrupted, maybe he thought that I _wanted_ the kiss? I would have to clear things up with him. Later.

I was outside the room where Sasuke was waiting, and was about to put my hand on the handle, when suddenly the door opened, and I stumbled back.

Suigetsu and Karin were walking out.

The white haired boy was twirling a few strands of Karin's hair in-between his fingers.

"It's so red…" he muttered.

Karin stood in shock, her mouth open. Maybe it was a compliment?

"…Like an aggravated pimple…" Suigetsu finished, and snickered. Karin didn't miss a beat, slamming his face into the wall.

I stood there awkwardly, sliding around them to make my way into the room.

I knew why they were leaving. For some reason, Sasuke didn't like others in the room while I was healing him.

Was it because he felt too vulnerable?

I shrugged. God help the person who understands Sasuke's actions.

As I entered, I looked around, trying to find him. He was still sitting by the window, looking outside.

Quietly I closed the door behind me, leaning against it.

I couldn't just walk over and start healing him, so I had to wait 'till he at least signaled something.

A vein popped in my forehead. So he calls me, and now he's making me wait? My hands clenched, suddenly wanting to punch something. Someone.

I heard movement and looked up, flinching when the raven haired boy was suddenly in front of me.

I stepped back, and watched as he took some bandages off of his chest.

A wide crater like wound was in the center of his chest, blood slowly dribbling down it and onto the floor. I gasped.

"When did this happen?" I demanded, forgetting my fear of Sasuke, and bending a bit to examining it. It couldn't have been there all along. The first day I was recruited I saw his chest.

_He ran towards the wall, jumping onto it and pushing off, flying towards the Uchiha._

_Juugo sent his claw smashing into Sasuke's chest, but Sasuke took advantage of the hit and grabbed his claw hand, spinning Juugo around, eventually sending him into the kitchen._

  
>I could almost hear the click as I remembered. Sure Sasuke got Juugo back, but in order to do that attack, he had to take the blow.<p>

I stared at it in horror, my hands hovering around it, not sure what to do.

"And you still continued fighting like this?" I whispered in disbelief. I already knew he did, because I saw him. I said that to myself more than to anyone else.

I helped him to the floor, lying him down. His eyes were blank and staring nowhere in particular. There was no pain in his face. Not much emotion at all, actually.

Instead of my hands hovering over the wound, like it's usually done, I placed them right on top of the wound.

I got a reaction from the Uchiha. Just an eyebrow twitch. But it was still something.

I didn't start off small with the healing. As soon as my hands rested on the wound, an enormous amount of green chakra flared out and into his wound.

We both watched as the blood evaporated, and the flesh was slowly being patched and knotted back together.

Even after it was done, I still continued. The wound was pretty nasty. That's saying something.

I've seen a lot, and it takes something big to make me so nervous.

I pulled back my hands, the blood that was on them also dissolved.

"Does it feel alright?" I asked, watching him sit up and twist his torso around.

"Hn." He responded. I frowned, taking that as a yes, and started to get up.

Something grabbed my hand and pulled me back. I was in a very awkward position, half standing half sitting, so when I was pulled I completely fell back.

I turned bright red when I found out where exactly I had fallen.

Sasuke had pulled me for whatever reason, and now I rested in between his legs.

"You missed a spot," he said, unaffected by where I was sitting.

I scrambled away and waited patiently for him to show me. My face was burning, and my hands were freezing.

I tried to warm them. My hands always went cold when I was nervous, which I used to rant about all the time.

Sasuke revealed a little gash near his hip, and I clenched my fist again. It was so small. A band aid would suffice.

I huffed and made my way over, putting my index finger on the tiny cut.

I noticed a corner of the black haired boys mouth start to curl, but I kept my head down, focusing on the wound.

"Your hands are cold," He stated, as if it was bothering him since I was touching his skin. But I knew he was teasing me.

I remained silent, frustrated by how long this was taking. The last jutsu had taken a lot of chakra, so I was pushing out any excess I had. Without, y'know, dying.

All traces of the smirk that lingered on his pale lips suddenly disappeared. He looked bored again.

"There are a lot of old people staying here," Sasuke said nonchalantly, and I raised an eyebrow.

Such an odd statement, but the oddity of it almost made me smile, for I had noticed it too.

"They won't like it if they see you guys making out."

It took what he said a while to sink in, and I sucked in a breath, looking up at him. He was staring at me, awaiting my reaction, probably.

"What…" I spluttered, even though I knew that by 'guys' he was referring to Juugo and I.

I composed myself, and finished on the wound with my last burst of usable chakra.

"Agreed. That's why it will never happen."

I hoped the way I slightly emphasized 'never' hinted I didn't like Juugo.

Sasuke stood up now, grabbing his grey shirt with the big collar.

"Good. But there will always be people who don't respect their elders." He bent down and picked up a rock from the floor. I wasn't sure how it got there, but didn't question it.

I knew that by him saying some people don't respect their elders, that he was saying Juugo still liked me, even though I didn't like him, and would still try to kiss me, much to the old people's distaste.

Sasuke was walking to leave, and threw the rock over his shoulder.

I watched it cut through the air and fly out the window.

The black haired boy was gone, sliding the door closed behind him.

I heard a thud and someone wincing, and ran to the window.

When I looked out, I saw Juugo still sitting on the bench, rubbing his head.

******

Sasuke, Karin and Suigetsu had went out on the town for reasons that they had not told me.

I was avoiding Juugo. I was right about him thinking that I liked him back, so I would think up terrible excuses for why I had to leave on the spot for whenever we ran into each other.

It was probably time I told him.

Those three were gone, so I couldn't ask for an even better chance.

I slid open the door to our room, kind of hoping he wouldn't be there.

He was.

I cursed inwardly, and walked in, but still stayed by the door.

"Hey, Juugo," I greeted, and he turned to me, almost surprised.

I guess that was natural, I _have_ been avoiding him all day.

"Can I talk to you…?" I began, and watched as surprise went to pleasure.

The huge room we were in suddenly seemed too small.

"Outside," I added quickly, pointing to the window. At least outside there was other people, birds, wind, just noises and general things to not make it so awkward and silent.

I started to walk out the door, knowing that he would follow.

Juugo was the type to seclude himself and just think about things, so at least if we had the talk outside, I could go back inside, while he stays outside.

It would be too obvious if we had the talk in our room, and I just escaped outside. After this, I could tell we would both want separation.

I was fidgeting all the way down.

I don't have experience with this kind of stuff. The only guys who have ever liked me that I was aware of, were Rock Lee and Naruto.

Naruto is just… Naruto, though, so he was easy to talk to. And Rock Lee liked me right off the bat, so It wasn't so awkward.

But this…

My hands were freezing.

The sun immediately hit me in the face, and I trotted over to the bench. Juugo all too eagerly followed along.

It suddenly occurred to me that …

_He probably thinks we're going to start where we left off…Since the others are out, and we're in the exact same spot…_

I swallowed hard, wanting to talk before he gets any ideas.

I mentally kicked myself for not readying a speech or some sort of sentence to let him down easier.

With Lee and Naruto, it was always, "No way!" "Never." "No." Things like that.

But I wanted to be more gentle with Juugo.

_"I've always wanted an older brother, and I think of you as one.."_

No way.

_"Juugo, I really like you, and the moment I saw you I knew you were a gentle and caring person. I really like you, and you really like me, but I don't like you the same way. I'm sorry.."_

My eyes lit up. Pleasantly surprised with the speech I had just conjured up in my head, I sat up straight and confident.

"Idon'tlikeyoubacki'msorry!"

I spluttered out, and immediately slapped my hand over my mouth.

I stared up at Juugo with wide green eyes, watching as he deciphered my words.

He went from surprised to hurt.

"W-what I mean is…" I tried to remember the speech from before, rubbing my cold hands on my legs.

"I, uh, really like you…the moment I saw you I knew you were gentle but I don't like you the same way. I'm sorry!"

I got up quickly, noticing how stupid my 'perfect' speech sounded once it was said out loud, and practically ran up to the room.

I slid the door shut loudly behind me, and dropped to the ground.

Nice going, Sakura.

I nervously played with my pink locks, twirling and braiding them.

I dared looking out the window, and saw Juugo.

He wasn't sitting on the bench, but started to walk into the forest, birds chirping happily around him and landing on his arm.

I smiled, and stopped spying on him.

_Sasuke…Karin…Suigetsu…Anybody, come back, quick. I don't want to be alone with him…_

I thought selfishly, the butterflies in my stomach squirming, and my face tinting red.

Sasuke and the others may be back by the time Juugo comes back in, or maybe even Juugo will wait till they're back till he returns to the room.

But I didn't want to take that chance.

I stumbled over to my bed and threw the covers over me, shutting my eyes tightly and trying to fall asleep.

Yeah, right.

I was too pumped up. But behind all that, I _was_ exhausted.

suddenly thankful for all of the chakra I used on Sasuke, I laid down on my bed, and brought my hand to a small cut on my arm.

I began healing it just to waste chakra, in a desperate attempt to exhaust and tire me further.

It worked.

My eyes started to sag, and I dropped my hand limp by my side.

I wasn't on the verge of death or anything, but I was in need of a nap.

I closed my eyes and rolled onto my stomach, letting the welcoming darkness comfort me.

**

I was vaguely aware of a slight rocking motion.

My head bobbed up and down.

As unconsciousness drifted more and more away, I became aware of more things.

One, the blood rushing to my head.

Two, how uncomfortable I was.

Three, how hot it was.

Four, the hand dangerously close to my rear.

Whoever was talking, I couldn't hear.

I waited until I was more awake till I opened my eyes.

I regretted it as soon as I did.

The sun, even though I was looking down, was scorching, and didn't play nice with my raw eyes.

Once my eyes adjusted, I made out the Akatsuki print just inches from my face.

"H-hey.." I murmured softly, trying to figure out what was happening.

No one responded to me.

After a few more moments of becoming more and more awake, I realized what position I was in.

I was slumped over someone's shoulder, their hand near my butt, and my eyes only taking in the back of their clothing.

I started to squirm, and soon regretted it when I was promptly dropped.

I swore under my breath, and looked up to see Sasuke looking down at me. It occurred to me that he was the one who was carrying me up until now.

I was sitting on sand, and noticed, once again, that we were in a desert.

"Why can't I ever wake up normally…" I muttered, grimacing as someone helped me up.

I looked up to see Juugo, and flinched violently out of surprise. The incidents of earlier didn't come into my memory yet, but now I remembered, only too painfully.

The look of hurt on his face didn't help, and I looked down, ashamed of myself.

_Bitch move._

"Where are we headed?" I asked no one in particular. Seemed like someone different always answered.

"To the Land of Fire. We have business there."

I held my breath. Land of Fire?

If they were headed to Konoha…

I swallowed, trying to replenish my dry throat.

Suigetsu shoved his water in my face, a taunting smile plastered on his lips.

"Don't want 'ya fainting again,"

I frowned, but couldn't hold the scowl for long, and grabbed the water out of his hand as I sipped a bit.

"_OoOooOh_! You used my straw! It's like we're kis—"

I punched him in the head, cutting his sentence short, and smiled.

He reminded me a lot of Naruto. A little comfort from home.

"We're nearing the borders," Sasuke announced, and Karin ran to catch up to him.

For some reason, I realized just then that I was the only one not wearing an Akatsuki robe.

Well, I wasn't an official Akatsuki anyway. ( Thank heaven for that )

I could be mistaken for a hostage…Which, in a sense, I was.

"Yeah, I don't get that part. Why do we have to stop at the border to cross into the fire country?" Suigetsu asked, and grabbed his Akatsuki robe, pointing at the red cloud. "We're the freakin' _Akatsuki_."

I silently agreed with Suigetsu. Not that I wanted this, but I was surprised Sasuke didn't just walk by them, or kill them all.

I didn't say anything, but my answer would probably be answered shortly anyway. Though I wouldn't put it past Sasuke to just ignore us completely.

"I have to speak with the Border woman."

Suigetsu and I shrugged, accepting the answer.

"By the way, how long was I sleeping for?"

"2 hours," Sasuke replied, "We were ready to leave and saw you sleeping. We didn't want to have to deal with you getting ready and whatnot, so I just scooped you up and we left."

I was sort of pleased they didn't wake me. I got to sleep through most of the trip.

I peered up ahead through my eyelashes, and through the blowing sand, I noticed something.

I blinked, making sure I wasn't delusional.

"Hey…What is that?" I murmured, squinting.

Way ahead, a long row of shadows could be seen.

Sasuke smirked, placing a hand on his Katana.

"Guess they've come to welcome us."


	12. sake

_I peered up ahead through my eyelashes, and through the blowing sand, I noticed something. _

_I blinked, making sure I wasn't delusional. _

_"Hey…What is that?" I murmured, squinting. _

_Way ahead, a long row of shadows could be seen. _

_Sasuke smirked, placing a hand on his Katana. _

_"Guess they've come to welcome us."_

******

"Welcome us? Who are they?" Suigetsu asked, also peering through his eyelashes, squinting against the harsh sand and sun.

I already knew who they were, well, I thought I did.

Sasuke had mentioned earlier something about needing to meet up with a border woman, or something along those lines.

Were these the soldiers who stood guard near the border?

Then that meant if we passed them, we'd be in the fire country.

"Are we killing them and going past them?" I asked, assuming that was correct.

"No. Suigetsu, lower your sword. Everyone else: stop looking so hostile. We go in peaceful. Like I said earlier, I need to have a little chat with the border woman," Sasuke murmured, a smirk appearing on his lips as he neared the last few words.

What could he possibly have to talk to her about?

I looked up at his face with a frown, studying him. He showed expression, although it was just a smirk. But I still couldn't read him beyond that.

The closer we got, the more soldiers flooded out of the base near the border and into the line. I sighed. Were we really expected to negotiate with them?

We were close enough to see the soldiers faces now, and likewise. They all had their weapons raised, ready to strike.

"What business do you have here?" One of the soldiers demanded.

"I wish to speak with the border woman," Sasuke replied, his hand also on his weapon.

It seems the soldier just realized that Sasuke was wearing an Akatsuki robe, and his sword shook slightly. He raised it in front of him.

"You're part of the Akatsuki? She doesn't have business with you," He spat, his knuckles turning white due to his strong hold on the sword.

"Let her decide that," Sasuke said, growing impatient and placing a hand on his hip.

"Even if you do talk to her, it's no use. We won't let anyone from the Akatsuki cross the border. You're lucky we didn't attack on sight."

"Likewise," Sasuke said coldly, his hand clenching in and out of a fist.

"You—!" One of the soldiers choked, clearly flustered and aggravated. He reached for his sword and started to charge.

Sasuke got his sword out, too.

Man, the testosterone level was really off the charts.

"Takeba! Stand down!" A woman's voice commanded. It was feminine and soft, but was also strong and held authority.

My green eyes left the soldier, and drifted over to where the woman stood.

She wore pads all over her body—chest pad, elbow pads, shin pads, and she held herself very high. I could tell this was the border woman Sasuke wanted to talk to.

But still that question. Why?

I noticed by the way Karin was shooting daggers at the woman, that she too wanted to know.

The woman jumped down from where she was perched on top of the border control base, her light blue hair blowing behind her.

She stepped in front of the soldiers, extending her arms as if to tell them to back off. They obliged, and put away their weapons, stepping back.

She turned towards us, sizing up all of us. Her eyes rested on everyone for a few moments, before they were on me.

Her golden eyes met my emerald ones, holding them until she was ready to let go. I hadn't noticed that I was stiff and holding my breath, until she released her gaze on me.

"What business do you have with me?" She demanded coldly, her glare resting only on Sasuke now.

Sasuke stepped forward, slouching. "I would feel more comfortable if we spoke in private,"

The border woman stared at him for a few more seconds, before she rose her hand in the air, making an odd sign. Upon seeing it, all of the soldiers disembarked and scattered across different sections of the desert.

"Follow me," She ordered, her voice a bit softer now. She made her way to the border control base, opening the door to enter and leaving it swinging behind her.

Sasuke caught it and went in as well, followed by Karin, Suigetsu, me, and Juugo.

The inside was much nicer than the outside.

From the outside it just looked like a giant cinderblock with a door.

On the inside, however, there was a huge plasma screen TV on the wall, a coffee table surrounded by a few couches, and then near the back of the room, a long table with a vase full of flowers on it. The room was also dimly lit. What was with all the dim lights lately?

Sasuke and the woman made their way to the back of the room where the table was, which you had to go up about two or three steps to get to.

"You four can just turn on the TV and watch what you like, while we have our talk," The border woman suggested, but then turned to Sasuke.

They only started speaking in soft hushes once the television was on.

Suigetsu had turned it on to some hockey game that nobody but him cared about. He and Karin were making a ruckus fighting over the remote.

I looked around, and started pressing my feet into the carpet. It was at least two centimeters thick, and you could tell by just pressing and letting your feet sink into it.

I looked up at the ceiling and at the dim light, my eyes sagging slightly. Why though? I just woke up. Man, I was lazy.

"Excuse me," The border woman was suddenly in front of Suigetsu and I, who were currently sharing a love-seat. Karin and Juugo sat on another love-seat beside us.

"Would you like some sake?" She offered, pushing a tray with little cups of white liquid closer to us. I looked at her face, and she was wearing a pleasant smile.

Karin and Juugo already had a cup in their hand.

"Sure! I'll have one~" Suigetsu immediately answered, reaching his hand out and grabbing the second last cup.

Once he started glugging, the blue haired woman looked at me.

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't drink alcohol," I murmured, bowing my head apologetically.

"But I insist," She continued, pushing the tray a bit further.

I could feel someone looking at me, and noticed it was Sasuke. He was glaring at me, as if telling me to accept the drink.

I swallowed. Thanks to my Shishou, I knew what too much sake did to you. I grabbed a cup anyway. It's not like I had to drink it. Give it to Suigetsu, maybe?

The woman smiled and nodded once I took it, and went back to Sasuke. I looked over to see If they were drinking. They weren't,

I listened to Suigetsu slurp and chug his, and didn't notice there was even more sake on the coffee table in front of us, until he reached for more.

He and Karin were both tossing the rice wine back, while me and Juugo sat there awkwardly, occasionally looking into our cups.

Through the cup, I could feel the warmth on my hands. I looked over at Suigetsu. He was now leaning back and patting his belly, but Karin reached for more.

Suigetsu peered over at me. "You havin' any?"

I fidgeted a bit in my seat, and looked over at him, feeling embarrassed.  
>"What…does it taste like?"<p>

Suigetsu stared at me for a moment, before bursting into laughter.  
>"Hahaha! You've never had sake before? For real? You're so cute! Now I know why Juugo likes ya so much!"<p>

The white haired boy threw his arm around me. "Go on, try it. You'll like it. It's sweet,"

I looked down at it, watching the ripples run through the smooth liquid. I licked my lips, and brought the cup to my mouth, letting the warm, sweet liquid run down my throat.

It _was _good.

I continued to take more sips, and before I knew it, I was on my third cup.

"Whoa, there. It's your first time and you're already hooked, eh? Though I wouldn't mind seeing a drunk Sakura," He teased, poking my nose.

I could feel the heat rising to my face and the colour filling my cheeks. A thin layer of fog was also starting to cloud my vision and my eyes were drooping. I imagined I looked like my Shishou when she had too much to drink.

Was I drunk? How does one know when they're drunk?

******

**Juugo's P.O.V.**

I looked down at my cup. I still hadn't taken a sip.

I didn't think Sakura wasn't going to drink any either, but I guess I was wrong. Then again, I was wrong about a lot of things when it came to her.

I watched as her pale skin became tinted with red, her cheeks holding a bright red colour. Her talking was becoming slurred, and her eyes were drooping.

But despite all that, she was still herself. Even when drunk.

I watched her down a few more cups. That's when she started acting differently.

She threw her arm around Suigetsu, whispering something in his ear.

Suigetsu's eyes widened, and then he erupted into laughter, patting Sakura on the knee with his hand. I stared at his hand, then at her knee.

"I like you when you're drunk!" He bellowed, wiping the tears from his eye.

I also noticed the raven haired Uchiha peer over at Sakura every now and then, but I didn't know what that was all about.

Was he worried, like me? Amused? Making sure she didn't do anything stupid? I shrugged, leaving it for now.

I closed my eyes, trying to fall asleep. Everything was black, but then it went pink.

Sakura appeared in my head. I tried to think of something else, but she popped back. Then the memory resurfaced of when she told me that she didn't like me that way.

I smelled her scent in my head. Really? Now I was _smelling_ her? It was so clear and vivid, too.

I cracked my eyes open, only to see a flushed Sakura a few centimeters from my face. She was looking at me wide eyed, her lips parted ever so slightly. Now it was me who was red.

I backed away a bit, and she just cocked her head to the side.

She plopped down beside me, since Karin was face-planted on the floor and already passed out. Suigetsu was poking her.

"Do you like me?" Sakura slurred, nudging me with her elbow.

My eyebrow twitched, and I looked over at her. It was obvious she was drunk, so I really couldn't hold this against her, but…

She started giggling like a school girl before she started her next sentence. "Do you want—" she burst out into laughter again, unable to ask whatever she was going to ask without laughing.

"Never mind," She mumbled, getting up and walking off to the couch where she originally sat.

She took a sip of her sake, but then placed it back on the table, mumbling something to herself quietly.

She stared up at the T.V for a while, before her eyes widened, as if she just remembered something.

She turned her head, and looked over to where Sasuke and the blue haired woman sat, talking.

The pink haired girl got up, stumbling a few times, and walked over to the two.

Since there were no chairs, she kneeled down beside where Sasuke sat, resting her chin on the table.

"What're you guys talking about?" She asked, her eyes staying closed when she blinked for much longer than they should.

"Leave, Sakura. Go sit down," Sasuke commanded, gesturing with his chin to the couch area where Suigetsu, Karin and I sat.

Sakura shook her head, pouting. "But I've been there for so long," She complained, looking up at him with half lidded eyes, "When are you gonna be done?"

"Soon, for now, go sit down," The Uchiha was starting to sound annoyed.

Sakura, even in her drunken state, noticed this, and frowned.

"You're no fun…" She mumbled, walking back over to me, and plopping down beside me.

She turned to me, a devious look on her face. It worried me a bit.

"You like me, right?" She whispered again, and my face heated up again. I looked away, giving a fast nod yes. It's not like she would remember any of this anyway.

"You…Then, you want to have sex?" She asked in a mumble.

I choked on my saliva, leaning forward and coughing up a storm. My face was red from the choking, and what she just said.

She was looking at me seriously with her foggy eyes, waiting an answer. I stared at her dumbfounded. She was _really_ drunk.

"Sakura, you're drunk. Why don't you take a nap?" I offered, changing the subject.

"No, I'm not drunk. And I'm not tired, either. Answer me!" She commanded me, shoving my arm. Though it was just a small nudge.

"Sakura, you don't want to, you're drunk. You may think you want to, but you don't. Like I said before, go have some water and have a nap," Nap. I looked down at Karin who was still lying on her face unconscious. Suigetsu, who had been poking her, now also lay unconscious on his back, on top of her.

Sakura moaned, frowning. "You're no fun, either," She pouted.

I sighed, and looked over at the T.V. The hockey game that was on earlier had ended, and now there were some guys just talking about sports.

My eyes got foggy and started to sag as well, and I yawned. Maybe a nap would be nice.

My eyes were just about to close, when I felt a sudden weight on me.

Snapping my eyes open, I saw Sakura who had thrown herself on me, nestling her head into my chest.

"Are you sure?" She asked, turning her head up and looking up at me.

My face was positively burnt now, and I tried to look away.

"I can't…" I mumbled, though it sounded pathetic. Sakura caught on to this.

"Plleeaasseeee," She begged, nestling herself onto me more.

I swallowed.

"Sa—"

Suddenly, all the weight was gone.

Sakura was pulled off of me.

I looked up to see Sasuke, holding a squirming Sakura, and then throwing her onto the other couch.

Sasuke's eyes were closed, his mouth turned down at the corners, and his eyebrow was twitching.

Suddenly his eyes opened and were on me. His glare was so intense I had to look away.

"Sakura," He said coldly, turning to Sakura. She childishly crossed her arms, frowning.

"Juugo was right. Take a nap. Whatever you do with him, you'll regret when you're sober."

Sakura looked up at him. "I _am_ sober," she insisted.

Sasuke moved his face in front of hers so that they were inches apart, and he closed his eyes.

He slowly reopened them. "You reek of sake," He pointed out, and then pulled back.

Sakura was momentarily stumped by their close contact, her face even more red than before. Was that how I looked when she came onto me?

I was suddenly angry.

Sakura threw herself at Sasuke, wrapping her arms around him and nestling her head into his robe. "You smell nice," She pointed out.

Sasuke grabbed her and peeled her off of him. His eyes were, as usual, cold and emotionless.

"Sleep," He ordered, "Now."

Even drunk Sakura could hear the severity and finality of his cold voice. But she still crossed her arms.

She shifted her weight to one hip, and looked up. "Hmmm, I'll sleep, if…"

Sasuke stared at her, waiting for the conditions.

"If I can sit and be a part of your talk with the border woman!" Sakura threw her arms in the air as she proclaimed her conditions.

Sasuke put a hand on his hip, frowning and looking down at her. He stared at her for a long time, long enough to even make drunk Sakura fidget. It wasn't an emotionless glare this time.

"Fine, you won't remember anything anyway," He concluded, and walked back to the table where the woman was waiting. An amused smirk was on her face as she watched Sasuke and Sakura make their way over.

******

**Border woman's P.O.V.**

I watched as the young Uchiha made his way over back to me, followed by the pink haired girl.

I could tell, even in these few moments that I've seen them together, that they were old teammates. Even as distant as this Uchiha boy was, he may not notice it, but he was less formal and tense around her.

As he sat down in front of me again, I raised a suggestive eyebrow at him, smirking.

He raised one right back at me, and I chuckled. He was handsome.

The pink haired girl, Sakura, pulled up a chair beside him. Her pale skin was flushed red.

"She's a beautiful girl," I commented, staring at her face. She was out of it, her eyes sagging and barely open as she rested her head on the chair.

Uchiha stared at me.  
>"Yes, and grass is green. Now, can we get on with it?" He said harshly.<p>

My eyes widened at what he just said. He may have not noticed it himself, but I did, and I started laughing.

When you say grass is green—that's a known fact. Everybody thinks it, everybody knows it. It's a given.

So when I said this Sakura girl was beautiful, Uchiha said, "Yes, and grass is green," meaning he knows it already himself.

I chuckled a bit more

Or I was just crazy and overlooking things.

The raven haired boy was again raising his eyebrow at me. He folded his hands and put them in front of his mouth, looking at me with speculative eyes. These Uchiha's…

Sakura, fully unconscious now, went limp, her head falling onto the boys shoulder. He acted like he didn't notice.

We talked for a few more hours. Everyone but me and the Uchiha were unconscious , so we no longer had to speak in hushed whispers.

"I'll be going now," The Uchiha announced, getting up out of his chair and causing the pink haired girls head to fall.

The blackhaired boy went over to the white haired boy, and kicked him. "Wake up," He ordered.

The white haired boy sat up, rubbing at his eyes.

"Wake up the others, we're going now." Sasuke announced, and headed out the door, not waiting for the others to follow.

The Suigetsu boy sighed and began waking every one up.

The two red heads and the Uchiha left. Now all that was left was to wake Sakura.

Suigetsu came over and nudged her shoulder, making it more violent as time went on. Sakura's green eyes cracked open. She was still highly intoxicated, and started laughing for no reason.

"C'mon drunkard, we're leaving." The white haired boy told her, and then he too walked out the door.

I watched Sakura get up and get ready to leave, when I noticed something.

Her headband had the Konoha symbol on it.

_Perfect…_****

  
>I performed a few hand seals, and the building we were in glowed blue momentarily before going back to it's normal colour.<p>

Sakura tried to open the door, but was instantly shocked, and fell back.

I chuckled.

Walking over to Sakura, I grabbed a pill out of my pocket, and stuffed it in her mouth. I covered her nose and mouth, rubbing her throat and forcing her to swallow.

Once I confirmed she had swallowed it, I let her go, smirking.

"Sakura, you're going to answer a few questions for me."**  
><strong>


	13. Shannaro!

**Heya! Chapter thirteen is UP.  
>So many of you were wondering about the cliff hanger, so I decided to get started on the next chapter right away. xD<strong>

**So enjoy!**

******

Sakura tried to open the door, but was instantly shocked, and fell back.

I chuckled.

Walking over to Sakura, I grabbed a pill out of my pocket, and stuffed it in her mouth. I covered her nose and mouth, rubbing her throat and forcing her to swallow.

Once I confirmed she had swallowed it, I let her go, smirking.

"Sakura, you're going to answer a few questions for me."

******

**Suigetsu's P.O.V**

I folded my hands and put them behind my head.

I was groggy and my head was sore from all the sake. I wasn't going to have a hangover, but It was still annoying.

Sakura, though. She was going to have one hell of a headache.

I smirked. Speaking of Sakura…

"Oi, Sakura," I turned around to talk to Sakura, who was following behind me.

Er… should have been following behind me.

"Sakura?" I mumbled, looking around. Was I trippin'?

The others looked over curiously at my mumbling, and Juugo also started looking around.

"Where's Sakura?" He wondered, his light brown eyes scoping the areas I've already tried looking.

I shrugged. "Dunno…She should have been following me. She was right behind me when I last saw her," I explained, looking back at the small, cinderblock like building we just came out from.

I was studying the building, and suddenly Sasuke appeared in front of it like a blur. I blinked, and rubbed my eyes. Damn, he was fast.

We all ran to catch up with him.

The Uchiha stared at the building for a while with an expression that looked like he was staring at somebody he hated, rather than just a grey cinderblock with a door.****

**"**Well, what are we waiting for? Sakura's in there, right?" Juugo asked, raising his voice. Sasuke looked at him with calm eyes, but they still managed to make Juugo step down.

"Fine, do nothing. I'm going in," Juugo proclaimed, stepping past Sasuke and grabbing the door handle.

He stood still for a while, little tremors running through his body, but then he was shot back.

"As I thought," Sasuke mumbled as he watched Juugo get up from the recent electric impact.

"You could have warned me…" Juugo whispered, slowly getting back up and wiping his mouth.****

If it weren't for the blue glow I saw on the building earlier, I wouldn't have suspected the electricity. Sasuke probably sensed it because he's also an electric type.****

Sasuke grabbed his katana, and waves of electricity started to run through it. We all stepped back as he sliced the barrier.

The barrier still remained, standing strong.

"Tsch," Sasuke spat onto the desert sand, putting his Katana away again.

"What purpose could the border woman have for trapping Sakura?" Juugo asked, raising an eyebrow.

I looked over at everybody's expressions.

Mine probably just looked curious.

Karin looked happy, almost like she wanted us to just leave and ditch Sakura.

Juugo looked scared and worried, and…

Sasuke just looked pissed.

"You're pretty strong, to make a barrier of this strength," Sasuke said loudly so that the border woman could hear.

"But you forgot you're dealing with an Uchiha."

**

**Sakura's P.O.V**

I struggled against her grip, but as much as I resisted, the pill still ended up gliding down my throat.

What was happening? What did she just give me? Why is she trapping me here?

I wiped my mouth and looked up at her.

"Before we have our conversation, let's wait for that pill to take effect," She said pleasantly, walking over to the table to take a seat.

Slowly but surely, It took effect.

My eyes, glazed with fog, were clearing up. The heat in my cheeks left, and the slur in my speech disappeared. I knew what kind of pill she gave me.

Basically, it just makes you sober again. Why does such a pill exist?

Mainly, for interrogations. Sometimes people are better bluffers, liars, more calm, when they're drunk, so this makes that wear off.

Or, where I'm more familiar with it—for medical purposes. If we give a patient too much morphine, or drugs, it makes the effects wear off.

"You look better now. Why don't you have a seat?" She said where she sat at the head of the table, gesturing for me to take a seat on the opposite side.

I frowned, slowly and cautiously making my way to the chair. I pulled it out, and slouched back, crossing my arms. My eyes never left hers.

"What do you want?" I demanded.

She chuckled.

"So straight to the point. Well, I prefer it that way, anyway. That Uchiha and I, the chat we had… I gave him information, and he gave me some in return. I wanted some information on Konoha, and he gave it to me, claiming he had abandoned them. Only he's an Uchiha, and an Akatsuki to boot. So I can't trust him…" She stopped, her piercing golden eyes drifting up to me.

"I saw your headband, so you'll be answering the questions for him,"

My eyes widened momentarily, and then I sat up straight, smiling.

"I'm not betraying my village," I spat at her.

She sighed. "I heard Konoha ninja were very loyal…"

"They are," I interrupted. "Normal methods won't work on us,"

"…And yet there have been two Akatsuki who have come from Konoha. Odd, isn't?"

I got up out of my chair, my fists clenched.

"My, my, I didn't mean to offend you, please, sit back down. Now, for the questions…"

"It's no use asking me. I'm not telling you anything," I proclaimed, planting my feet firm on the ground.

"What me and that Uchiha were talking about," She started, getting up as well, "I'm from the hidden mist, and as you probably know, we of the mist often seek help from the Akatsuki. So on behalf of my village, I am, in a way, in debt to that Uchiha for being part of the Akatsuki. However, I still demand information for my information. A trade of sorts."

I glared at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Sasuke wanted some scrolls that the mist used to be in possession of. I told him I did not have them, and that they are in a ratty old mansion about two hours journey from here. That's the truth. So, in return I asked him the hours that Konoha's security is on patrol near the village, and where they patrol. He told me, but I don't trust him. Why don't you answer for me?" She whispered.

She walked up close to me, lingering behind my back. My eyebrow twitched.

"Your tone. You sound pretty confident," I pointed out, only to hear her chuckle.

I unclenched my fist. "If so, then why don't you talk to me in person!" I spun, kicking her into the wall, only for her to immediately burst into smoke.

I looked up in the vent and saw her in the shadows, her golden eyes glowing like a cat. "You're pretty sharp,"

I wiped my nose smugly. "I was the best chakra detector on my team,"

She hopped down gracefully, also like a cat.

"So, you know my question. Either, you tell me willingly, or…" She pulled out her kunai, leaving little to the imagination.

"You're the Fire countries border woman. You're supposed to protect anything beyond this border—including Konoha—from trespassers. Yet you wish to harm Konoha?" Something was fishy.

She sighed, gripping the kunai. "I don't have the time for this. I'll be taking the information forcefully, I gather?"

I nodded in confidence, slipping on my black gloves. She widened her eyes and popped her mouth into an "o". Mocking me. I smiled.

She dropped her kunai, and walked over to the wall, where the barrier was. I watched as she stepped inside the barrier, becoming one with it. Now she was one of the millions of little electro bolts that were flickering on the barrier.

I looked around, my confidence slightly dropping.

I kept spinning, not letting my back be to her.

"You'll get dizzy," I heard her voice echo through the room, and I stopped.

I considered throwing water onto the wall, but I doubted that would work. Too easy.

I stopped in the middle of the room, closing my eyes.

I listened to the little chirps of electricity surrounding me.

"Idiot!" She yelled, coming out of the wall, and shooting at me as fast as lightning.

I clenched my fist and turned around.

"**Shannaro****!**" I screamed, burying my fist into her pretty little face.

The wind got her before the punch, her face rippling. The impact was even worse. I heard a crack, and I knew it was over.

She was sent crashing into her own barrier.

A barrier of that level, once it's casted, it lasts for two hours roughly, even if the caster dies.

For the caster, to be immune to their own barrier of that level, it requires an insane skill for chakra control, and you need to constantly be watching it.

My punch nearly killed her, making her lose control.

She flew into her own barrier, the sizzles drowning out her horrible screams.

I could hardly recognize her by the time her charred body fell to the floor, her blue hair now black.

I walked up to her dead body, looking down at it with no feeling of sympathy.

For someone with Chakra detection skills such as my own, it was no problem finding her within all those little bolts of electricity—I tried to look scared to make her cocky.

I peeled my gloves off with a smirk.

"I was the best chakra detector on my team," I repeated.

******

**Suigetsu's P.O.V**

I watched Sasuke curiously. How was he going to get the barrier off?

Suddenly, Sasuke crouched down, putting his hand near the barrier, but not touching it. We all watched curiously.

I could hear little chirps coming from his hand. Chidori?

Little bolts of electricity bounced off of his hand as the Chidori started.

"Why're you using Chidori?" I asked. Electricity against electricity probably wouldn't work.

"**Shannaro!**"

We all heard that scream come from inside the building, and I jumped a bit, not expecting it.

A crash and a few screams came afterwards.

I could feel how wide my eyes were.

Karin, Juugo and I were all dumbstruck, looking towards the building.

"What was…" Juugo started,

"That?" Karin finished, equally as surprised.

"It sounded like Sakura," I pointed out, wondering what happened in there.

Sasuke didn't respond. His eyes were closed, but he smirked, letting out a 'hmph' that sounded like a chuckle.

I looked towards Sasuke, once again wondering how he was going to get rid of the barrier. Suddenly, Sakura's voice once again cut through the silence.

"Hey!" She called from inside the building, "I'm finished up in here. Any way to get the barrier off?"

"We're working on it!" I called back, remembering Sasuke. What was he doing, anyway?

I looked down at him, raising an eyebrow . But upon further inspection, I finally got it.

The electric barrier that was covered over the building, was being sucked into Sasuke's hand.

He was using the electricity of the barrier to form his Chidori. Well, I guess it made sense. If he could get lightning from the clouds, why not get lightning from a barrier?

We all watched as the blue that was cloaking the building gradually got smaller and smaller, until all of the bolts were in Sasuke's palm.

"It's safe now!" I called to Sakura from inside, and she stepped out, surprised by Sasuke's Chidori.

Immediately the smell of something burnt hit me, and I covered my nose. It was only intensified by the heat of the desert. I noticed Karin and Juugo cover their noses as well.

"Bleh! What's that smell?" Karin demanded, her voice muffled by her hand.

Sakura smiled. "The border woman."

I stared at the innocent looking girl with the pink hair, and inside to the burnt woman.

"Wha…" I spluttered. Juugo was also trying to make sense of the situation.

Karin puffed up her chest. "Hmph! No big deal!"

I noticed I'd never seen Sakura fight before, so I never really thought about how strong she was.

"How?" I asked curiously, stepping past Sakura and looking at the border woman.

"I punched her," Sakura answered, as if it were obvious.

I recalled the battle cry from earlier.

I whipped around to look at her. "Just a punch?" I asked dubiously.

"Well, the punch pretty much did the job, cracking her skull and causing eternal bleeding. The barrier that sizzled her just finished her off quicker. "

Sasuke diminished his Chidori, shaking his hand a few times. "What'd she want?"

"She wanted information from me, because she didn't think she could trust the information you gave her,"

Sasuke looked over at her dead body, and smirked. "Guess she wasn't as stupid as she looked."

******

**Sorry for the short chapter consisting of only really a fight. But I wanted to show how bad ass Sakura was. 8)**

**I also didn't want to start the next mini plot. I'll save that for the next chapter! ^^  
>Hope ya liked it. ;D<br>**


	14. Deja vu

**Oh god I feel like I've been neglecting you guys. xDD I haven't uploaded a chapter in so long. ; ^ ;  
>Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I wish I had an excuse as to why I didn't start on the next chapter sooner, like I was studying for exams, doing a project, … but I was just playing video games. Resonance of fate to be exact.<strong>

**Good game, good game.  
>ANYHOO<strong>

**Enjoy chapter..uh, I don't even know. But, ENJOY. ;D  
><strong>

_"Bleh! What's that smell?" Karin demanded, her voice muffled by her hand._

_Sakura smiled. "The border woman."_

_I stared at the innocent looking girl with the pink hair, and inside to the burnt woman._

_"Wha…" I spluttered. Juugo was also trying to make sense of the situation._

_Karin puffed up her chest. "Hmph! No big deal!"_

_I noticed I'd never seen Sakura fight before, so I never really thought about how strong she was._

_"How?" I asked curiously, stepping past Sakura and looking at the border woman._

_"I punched her," Sakura answered, as if it were obvious._

_I recalled the battle cry from earlier._

_I whipped around to look at her. "Just a punch?" I asked dubiously._

_"Well, the punch pretty much did the job, cracking her skull and causing eternal bleeding. The barrier that sizzled her just finished her off quicker. "_

_Sasuke diminished his Chidori, shaking his hand a few times. "What'd she want?"_

_"She wanted information from me, because she didn't think she could trust the information you gave her,"_

_Sasuke looked over at her dead body, and smirked. "Guess she wasn't as stupid as she looked."_

**  
>Every time my feet sunk into the sand as I walked, I grimaced a bit more each time.<p>

When were we going to get out of this damned desert.

"So, so, that border woman was a fake, right?" Suigetsu asked in between sips of his water.

Sasuke turned back to look at him momentarily, before looking ahead again. "Yeah,"

"What happened to the real one?" Karin added in, pushing up her glasses. I liked her better when she was like this—more serious, and an actual person, instead of just a head over heels fan girl in the background.

"She was most likely killed and disposed of, and then the fake border woman waited 'till Konoha ninja like Sakura came by." Sasuke murmured, and I frowned a little. I didn't like the way he said 'like Sakura'.

_You're a Konoha shinobi, too._

"SAKURA?" Suigetsu screamed in my ear. I cringed, a gasp escaping my lips, and whipped my head over to Suigetsu.

"WHAT?" I screamed back, equally as loud, my fists clenched.

Suigetsu was momentarily stunned by my shout, but then raised an eyebrow. "I called your name three times, so I wanted your attention. Sasuke asked you something,"

He asked me three times? I frowned.

"I'll ask again," Sasuke started, sounding irked. "Did that fake border woman mention anything about a hideout two hours from here?"

I pursed my lips, recalling our conversation. "Yeah, she did mention something about it…why?"

Sasuke shook his head, waving me off. "Just wanted to know if she was telling the truth. I was reading her with my sharingan, so I was almost positive she wasn't, but now I know for sure."

"So we're heading over there?"

"Yeah,"

"For the scrolls?"

"Yeah,"

"But she said It was a two hour trip,"

"Yeah,"

I frowned at his responses to my questions.

Two hours? I didn't want to be in this desert two more minutes.

I looked down, and considered dramatically falling, and 'twisting my ankle', forcing someone to carry me. But even I knew that was low. Plus, I wasn't like that.

I looked up again, my spirit being replenished.

"So, what do these scrolls look like?" I asked, wondering what was so special about them.

"They're wrapped with a gold rope, and although other scrolls may be as well, the style that these are wrapped in, you'll know right away."

I smiled to myself, trying to imagine what these scrolls looked like. Being Tsunade's apprentice, I've seen my fair share of…interesting scrolls. Whether they were forbidden, or just weird medical techniques. I didn't think a weirder scroll than a few I've seen even existed.

I found the trip to the desert wasn't so bad, so long as you just took the time to think.

fifteen minutes went by like five when I was in my head. I looked up.

The only thing that was distracting me was the wind.

It started off small at first, but soon started whooshing past us. I could see my pink strands of hair being wildly blown in front of my green eyes.

I presumed it was a sandstorm, until the wind started dying down again.

Then, I gasped. Karin did, as well. Suigetsu and Juugo, however, were clueless.

This chakra. Familiar, and dangerous. I didn't want it to be familiar, but I've felt it before. Even in this hot desert, it chilled me to the core.

The air right in front of our face became distorted and blurred, and an orange mask suddenly popped out of the small void he had created.

Sasuke stepped back a bit to get distance, and looked up at the mysterious masked man, and, as blunt as possible, murmured "What do you want?"

I heard chuckling from behind the mask, which made me grimace.

"Even in the heat, you're freezing cold, Sasuke."

No one appreciated the pun.

"I know where you guys are headed. Get in," He ordered, signaling with his thumb to come into that void…thing with him. Suigetsu didn't question it, and went right in.

Juugo was a little confused, but nonetheless, followed behind Suigetsu.

Karin looked over at Sasuke for approval. It seemed she too was wary of the masked man, and for good reason. Something about him made me feel gross. I frowned.

Sasuke nodded and waved Karin off, and with just that, Karin bounced over to the void.

How did this Tobi…or, Madara, even know where we were? I guess someone with strong chakra like Sasuke wasn't too hard to find in a deserted desert like this…

"Sakura," Sasuke's voice broke me out of my thoughts.

My green eyes drifted up slowly, and I saw everyone staring at me in anticipation, waiting for me to step into the … void.

I planted my feet firmly on the ground. No way in hell was I going in there.

It's funny, really. A few minutes ago I was considering faking an injury so that I wouldn't have to walk, and now that I'm being offered a lift, I'm being stubborn.

"I'll walk." I said simply, and started walking nonchalantly past Sasuke.

He stood there for a few seconds, but then without even turning around, he grabbed my arm, pulling me back.

"It'll take you too long to get there. And there's no guarantee you'd even make it to us. I can't afford to lose the only medic ninja."

I grimaced, mocking him in my head. '_you're all necessary_,'

Before I could respond, Sasuke picked me up, and threw me into the void. I was so shocked I didn't even protest.

I flinched as I thumped into something, and turned slowly to see that I had bumped into – and been caught – by Madara.

I scurried out of his reach quickly, and crawled over to the others.

Sasuke and Madara exchanged looks, glances, glares, whatever you want to call it, before Sasuke finally entered the weird rip in the air.

As soon as Madara made a few hand signs, we were quickly teleported away. As soon as I blinked, we were all already on the ground a few miles away from a hideout in the distance.

I felt a little sick, but I repressed it. What just happened reminded me of Harry potter. The whole teleporting thing, that is.

"Well, you kids are on your own now," Madara explained, and once again, disappeared into thin air.

Sasuke made a noise of annoyance, and turned, looking at the hideout in the distance.

"I'm only saying this once, so listen. We're all splitting up, and meeting back here in fifteen minutes. When we meet here, we'll exchange any information that we've found. Or better yet, if you've found the scroll, bring it back. If one of you doesn't make it here in the allotted time, it'll be safe to assume somebody has engaged you in combat. If that does happen, you'll be on your own. The rest of us will resume looking for the scroll. We'll only help you if we've already obtained the scroll. So if you don't think you'll do well in combat, try not to be found."

After Sasuke explained all that, Karin smirked, and I assumed she was thinking about how she wouldn't be found because she was so skilled with hiding her chakra. I inwardly scoffed.

But my mouth still hung open hearing Sasuke's rules. It was so different from the teams in Konoha. Never leave a friend behind. Here, it was all on you. It might as well be a solo mission.

I frowned. _Fuck _that.

If I see someone in trouble, I'll sure as hell help them.

_Except maybe Karin_, I joked.

Once we were at the entrance, Sasuke silently raised his hand.

He flicked his wrist, and all of us split up in an instant.

My green eyes scanned the area.

There were no lightbulbs. The whole place was naturally lit by the light outside, and there weren't many windows. You could still see, but I would have preferred it was brighter.

Everything was wood. Log walls, hardwood floors. I cringed whenever my feet triggered the awful squeal of the wooden floor.

Instead of diving right into where some of the scrolls were, I decided to do what I did best.

Research.

I headed to a room which was presumably a filing room, and silently shut the door behind me. It was a small room, with a desk and a few cabinets. No windows, just a door. It was a little creepy.

My fingers began drumming through the files immediately, looking through all of the inventory stocks. I looked for the scrolls, reading the descriptions and looking at their pictures.

I stopped mid search when I saw a scroll that particularly stood out. It was green with a Japanese symbol, a pretty normal scroll. Except for the gold weaving.

I looked at the picture for a while, my eyes trailing over the intricate and complicated knots of the golden rope. Every time I analyzed it I discovered a new knot, or a new weave. Out of all the scrolls I've seen, I've never seen one like this.

Shishou had said that depending on how severely the scroll is sealed, is how powerful it is. And considering how bound this one was, it must be very rare and powerful.

Excited now, my eyes anxiously devoured the paper, reading the description of what the scroll was used for.

There was nothing.

Where the description should be, was just some more white, disappointing paper.

"Blank," I spat out sourly, and read on. Maybe it would say where the scroll was located.

There was another piece of paper stapled to the one I was currently reading, and I unfolded it, delighted to see a map.

"You are here," The map said, pointing to a small cube like room on the paper. There was a destination with a star, and I smiled victoriously. The scroll was there.

I was about to leave, but decided to keep snooping. There was a lot of information in here, and I didn't want to put it to waste.

Flipping through files a mile a minute, I saw a picture of a woman fly by, and quickly stopped, retracing the past few files and going back. I stopped, and looked at the file.

A picture of the blue haired border woman I killed just an hour ago was on this document. She was a fake though. I scanned the paper again.

But if she was a fake, why did it say here that she was in fact, employed as the border woman?

But… We thought the real one was killed and she was just an evil woman who wanted information on Konoha. But she was just the real border woman who went bad on her own?

That didn't make sense though. In order to be a border woman, that takes a tremendous amount of responsibility and trust. They wouldn't hire you if they even had the smallest bit of doubt. They also put you through interrogation tests.

I rubbed my temples. Whatever. Think about this later.

Grabbing the map tightly in my hand, I shoved it in my back pouch, ready to go meet up at the meeting place. I was feeling pretty good about my discovery. To think I was worried about going back empty handed.

I went to go turn the doorknob to leave the small room, and as soon as I did, I heard a click. It was locked?

Switching to alert mode instantly, I heard another click, and my eyes darted around the room. I heard a hissing noise, and I knew exactly what that was.

Gathering chakra in my foot, I kicked the door open. Enough to open it and break the lock, but not actually take the door off its hinges. The room I was just in was rapidly filling with purple smoke, and I quickly slammed the door.

Poison smoke.

I choked as I remembered being trapped in it when fighting Sasori.

Who was there?

I quickly moved to the side as a poison laced kunai shot by my head, just grazing my cheek. As soon as it hit my skin, I could feel the metallic, fizzing sting of it. A poison you can feel on contact? This had to be at least 5x more potent than Sasori's.

Leaving no time to waste, I raised my hand quickly to my cheek, cleansing the wound. Since it was just a scratch, it was easy to heal. But if I got_ pierced_ with such a poison…

I swallowed. I didn't have any antidotes with me, either. Did such a powerful poison even _have_ an antidote?

"Ah…what fast reflexes," a soft voice purred, and I looked up. A woman with light brown hair, styled in a pixie cut sat way up, her head almost touching the ceiling. Like the fake border woman, she also reminded me of a cat.

I ignored her compliment, not letting my green eyes off her for a second. Her grey eyes watched mine as well.

"Such an intense glare…Stop it! You'll make me blush." She insisted. The first part of her sentence sounded playful and shy, but the last sentence sounded deadly.

"Ah…so it's the girl who defeated the border woman. Pretty impressive, I must admit," She complimented me once more, and as soon as what she just said registered, I went stiff. How did she know that? Information did _not_ get out that fast.

What was going on?

"So she was the real border woman?" I asked, demanding an explanation.

Her eyes narrowed a fraction, and her lips twitched. But, she said nothing.

She brought her polished hands up in the air in front of her, and I noticed the chakra strings attached to her fingers. With a twitch of her fingers, a puppet flew out from behind her, and she smiled.

I was smiling, too.

I watched her hands, and imagined Sasori's as well. I had experience dealing with a puppet user, and I was also delighted to see her hand movements were very similar to Sasori's.

My smile vanished. Even with all that said, I can't get cocky. I had Elder Chiyo back then, and antidotes at my disposal. Plus, Chiyo already knew Sasori's fighting style. And the last thing, Sasori's poison wasn't so deadly.

I smiled nervously, a bead of sweat forming on my forehead as I remembered Sasuke's words.

"_If one of you doesn't make it here in the allotted time, it'll be safe to assume somebody has engaged you in combat. If that does happen, you'll be on your own_."

I let out a smooth breath and slipped on my gloved, balling my hands in and out of fists multiple times.

Guess I'm on my own.


	15. Authors note

Hey guys~  
>Sorry I haven't really been updating this story, or explaining why.<br>I have exams so I've been (trying) to study like crazy. x_x  
>As soon as exam week is over, (for me my last is exam is on Thursday,) You'll see a new chapter. (:<br>Wish me luck.


	16. 1 vs 300

**Hey guys! I'm back. I didn't get the results on my exams yet, but I hope I passed everything. ; ^ ;  
>Anyway, I just wanna thank you all for wishing me luck and being so supportive. Reading all of those made me smile. (:<br>I was gonna upload this sooner, but my friend slept over, so I couldn't finish it.**

**Anyway, here it is, the long awaited next chapter!******

******

"Ah…so it's the girl who defeated the border woman. Pretty impressive, I must admit,"

She complimented me once more, and as soon as what she just said registered, I went stiff. How did she know that? Information did not get out that fast.

What was going on?

"So she was the real border woman?" I asked, demanding an explanation.

Her eyes narrowed a fraction, and her lips twitched. But, she said nothing.

She brought her polished hands up in the air in front of her, and I noticed the chakra strings attached to her fingers. With a twitch of her fingers, a puppet flew out from behind her, and she smiled.

I was smiling, too.

I watched her hands, and imagined Sasori's as well. I had experience dealing with a puppet user, and I was also delighted to see her hand movements were very similar to Sasori's.

My smile vanished. Even with all that said, I can't get cocky. I had Elder Chiyo back then, and antidotes at my disposal. Plus, Chiyo already knew Sasori's fighting style. And the last thing, Sasori's poison wasn't so deadly.

I smiled nervously, a bead of sweat forming on my forehead as I remembered Sasuke's words.

"If one of you doesn't make it here in the allotted time, it'll be safe to assume somebody has engaged you in combat. If that does happen, you'll be on your own."

I let out a smooth breath and slipped on my gloves, balling my hands in and out of fists multiple times.

Guess I'm on my own.

******

My eyes were glued to her hands, and my knees were slightly bent, ready to spring out of the way. It was just controlling puppets, how many fighting styles can there be? Hopefully she was similar to Sasori.

I sucked in a breath when I saw one of her fingers twitch, something that would have been almost unnoticeable if I wasn't paying such close attention.

With just that twitch, a puppet came shooting out of the shadows. I managed to jump out of the way in time to see it crash through the wall. I coughed from the smoke, my eyes wide.

Nevermind, her style was totally different. She meant to take me out with that one attack.

Sasori was careful, and more of the thinking and analyzing type.

She was rash, and just shot that at me. Plus her poison being so strong. She was impatient.

I heard a 'tsch' and looked up to see the annoyed expression that was plastered onto her face. I couldn't help but smile at her.

She ruffled her short pixie cut hair with one hand, her eyebrows knitted.

She raised both of her arms in the air, and stayed like that. I looked at her curiously, but still ready for whatever was coming.

Suddenly, she flung her arms down, and two puppets came crashing out of the ceiling. I looked up quickly, surprised to see how close to me they were.

I didn't have time to run—I wasn't fast enough.

"Shadow clone Jutsu!" I yelled. In the split seconds I had, my shadow clone grabbed my feet, and with strength matching mine, hurled me out of the way.

"Ugh!" I moaned, crashing into the wall. The two puppets came down and obliterated my shadow clone, along with some of the floor.

I wiped the small dribble of blood that was appearing at the corner of my mouth, and looked up at her once again.

She was wearing such an impatient expression, it surprised me. Her legs were crossed and her foot was tapping.

Guess she wasn't going to ease into anything. She was going to give it her all right from the start.

That could be bad. I know she's impatient, but I still haven't quite gotten her fighting style down. Considering how those two puppets came out of the ceiling, she may have many others hidden.

I swallowed and looked up, trying to look at her fingers. But she was wearing extremely long ad baggy sleeves, probably to conceal her hands. I frowned.

If I could get close to her, I'd probably be able to take her out with a punch. She didn't look like much of a melee fighter, especially considering those baggy clothes.

"This is annoying," She announced, her sour glare on me.

I smirked. "You're the one flinging puppets at me,"

Her grimace deepened, and her eyes narrowed.

The corners of her mouth lifted up into a sort of twisted smirk, and it made me uncomfortable. I backed up.

"Enough target practice," She announced, and stood up.

So she wasn't giving it her all?

I thought back to my fight with Sasori. Chiyo and I had thought that the Kazekage was the last thing up his sleeve. Only to find out he himself was a puppet, and he had one hundred more.

I clenched my fist. Puppet users were pretty messed up, so I prepared for the worst.

The same sick smile was still coated on her lips as she stood up. I backed up a little. _Was_ she going to fight?

Her hand moved slowly to the baggy dress type thing she was wearing. She pulled the ribbon that was holding it around her, and her clothes began to slip off.

I pursed my lips, and frowned. What was she trying to do? Don't tell me she was a puppet too.

Her clothes were now fully off, and slithered around her waist, before finally falling to the floor.

She looked down at me, her eyes wide and smiling.

My hands went cold, as they always do when I'm nervous. I clasped them together to try and give them warmth, and to stop the slight shaking.

I tried to speak, but it felt like someone stuffed a marshmallow down my throat, and my words only resulted in a sort of choking noise.

"What…" I finally managed to splutter out. She started laughing, and it made me feel gross. Her laugh filled the room, echoing off the walls.

It was hard to look at her, but my eyes were wide and glued to her.

Her body looked like it had been in an accident. Her skin was mangled and drooping, and looked totally deformed. But that wasn't it.

Hundreds of hands were sticking out of her body. All up her arm, there were children's hands, men's hands, women hands… Also on her stomach, her back, all up her legs…Every visible part of her body.  
><strong><br>**And the worst partwas that the hands were still moving. Like they were alive. Were they alive?

They weren't just moving, but they were reaching. The fingers were grabbing and squirming, almost as if they were trying to escape.

I bent over and threw up, coughing and clenching my stomach.

Did she kill people just to obtain their hands? She was laughing even harder now, to the point of hysteria.

"Isn't it amazing?" She yelled down to me, expecting me to agree.

"W-w," I started, but my voice was too unstable. Why was I so scared?

I inhaled and exhaled a few times, trying to regain my composure.

"You killed all th-those people just for their hands?" I asked, though it was pretty obvious.

"Wonderful, isn't it?" She smiled, looking tenderly at all of the mangled hands.

I held back anymore food that might want to resurface, clamping my hand tightly to my mouth.

"Why?" I demanded harshly, though not as harsh as I wanted it to sound.

"Why? Why do you think? A puppet master is limited to such a small amount of puppets. For a skilled puppet master like me, it's 1 puppet per finger. But we only have two hands, with five fingers each! So only ten puppets? Hah! No one will take you seriously with that lame amount! I wanted more. And look!" She screamed proudly, holding her arms out in a proud display of showing off her mangled body.

"Now I have three hundred puppets at my disposal! And the number is still rising with every brat I defeat!" She started to laugh again, her crooked smile distorting her face.

I backed up, my knees trembling.

I couldn't do it. There's no way. Me and Chiyo barely managed to defeat 100 puppets, and that was when we had the upper hand with antidote and information. But now…

It was suddenly hard to breathe, and I backed up even faster, everything trembling now.

I looked at all the hands, and imagined mine joined them, reaching out and grabbing for nothing for eternity.

I couldn't do it. No way. I'm going to die. I'm going to become part of her display. I can't. Someone. Save me. Please. I'm going to be killed. Someone. Anyone…

I dropped on my hands and knees and once again emptied my stomach, shaking violently.

was there an escape route? I looked around and spotted a door. Could I run for it? I have to. I'll die. I'll…

"Thinking of escaping? It's pointless," She announced, her eyes pinpointing me.

The hands on her body suddenly all shot chakra strings out of their fingertips. The chakra strings reached back into the shadows behind her, and emerged with dozens of puppets.

"That's not all," She murmured, taking out a scroll, and with her blood, summoning more puppets.

Even though the room we were in was huge, bigger then a normal house , the puppets crowded it, leaving only a little bit of room for me.

On my knees, I looked up hopelessly, my lips trembling.

This was it. I'm going to die.

"Three hundred puppets!" The lady screamed, a laugh following.

No. there was so many things I still needed to do. To see.

Bring Sasuke back. See Naruto become Hokage. Surpass my Shishou.

My eyes stung, but I couldn't move.

"Somebody…" I choked out, my throat tightening.

Somebody help me.

I closed my eyes and bowed my head, still quivering.

Waiting.

For what? Death?

I tasted the blood in my mouth, and feeling my body quiver, felt ashamed of myself.

This was so pathetic. It was hopeless. I couldn't win. But the usual me would try anyway.

I tried to get up, but I couldn't. Frozen in fear?

I thought back to the forest of death with Orochimaru.

Sasuke saved me there that time. But now I was on my own.

This was it.

I closed my eyes, once again waiting for death.

"_Amatarasu!"_

****


	17. Choices

**Wahh, 200+ reviews! Thank you guys so so much. My dream has been fulfilled. ; ^ ;  
>…no, nevermind. It'd be really lame if my dream in life was to have 200+ reviews on . xDD No but really, thanks so much.<strong>

**It's cool to think so many people are reading and looking forward to my story. :')**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter! ( p.s. I know there's mention of an Xbox, so let's just go with the flow. The ninja world in my story is a bit more up to date. xD )**__

_I tasted the blood in my mouth, and feeling my body quiver, felt ashamed of myself._

_This was so pathetic. It was hopeless. I couldn't win. But the usual me would try anyway._

_I tried to get up, but I couldn't. Frozen in fear?_

_I thought back to the forest of death with Orochimaru._

_Sasuke saved me there that time. But now I was on my own._

_This was it._

_I closed my eyes, once again waiting for death._

_"__Amaterasu!"_

**  
><em><br>_Death never came, but someone else did.

Amaterasu?

I closed my eyes, my brows knit in concentration.

I dug through my memories, trying to recall where I've heard of the technique.

While training with Tsunade-sama, she was recalling a fight she had in the past.

Amaterasu.. It slowly came back.

Amaterasu is the highest level fire release technique in existence, and it's black flames can't be extinguished, and are said to be hotter than the sun.

Such a strong technique. Who…?

I didn't have to look up to see who it was, because said person stepped out from behind me and planted their self firmly in front of me.

"Sasuke-kun," I murmured, deciding after that not to talk due to the pathetic trembling in my voice.

He turned to glance down at me, a look in his eyes I couldn't quite decipher at the moment.

I looked up at the three hundred puppets that were floating above us.

All of them, every single 300 of them, were engulfed in vicious black flames that slowly ate away at them.

One by one, what was left of the wooden puppets fell to the ground.

I watched, amazed. I've seen pictures, and read books about the technique, but seeing it in person was a whole different case.

The 300 puppets that would have been the death of me, fell to the floor like they were nothing.

The mangled woman stood, shocked, watching as all of her puppets were destroyed in mere seconds.

The twisted smile that was on her face vanished in an instant, and such an intense anger took its place, distorting her features.

She locked her gaze on Sasuke, her eye twitching.

I remembered Sasuke's rules from earlier.

Did they already find the scrolls, and that's why he decided that he had enough time to come and save me?

"Sasuke-k— do the others have the scrolls?"

He looked back at me and raised an eyebrow, but then turned back.

"No. But I think that's the least of your worries,"

I decided to drop it. He was right. My eyes rested on the mangled woman and her uneasy expression. Did she have anything else up her sleeve?

"Where are the scrolls?" Sasuke demanded, his eyes trailing over her body and grimacing.

"That pink haired bitch should have the map," She seethed, and turned around.  
>"Can you just let me go? As you can see, I don't have any puppets so I can't do you any harm. Plus, after what I've seen, even I'm not stupid enough to challenge you,"<p>

Sasuke waved her off and turned around. She took this as a yes and fled.

"The map?"

"Oh, right," I muttered, searching through my back pouch. I pulled out the crumpled and torn map, shaking it out before handing it to him.

As soon as he started to read it, blood poured out of his eyes.

"Sasuke-kun!" I gasped, my old habit of using 'kun' not being able to hide itself.

Sasuke grabbed at his right eye and clenched his teeth. Why was this happening?

I recalled the technique he used just now. It's an eye technique, and the flames go wherever the users eyes go.

So this was the side effect of using it?

"Sasuke. If that technique does this to you, you shouldn't use it," I insisted, the medical ninja in me cringing as she watched the blood run down his cheeks.

Sasuke ignored me and gave the map to me.

"Read it," he ordered.

I frowned. He saved me, and he was in a bad mood, so I'll go along this time.

My green eyes scanned the map.

"Uh…" I paused, looking down at it.

Sasuke looked up at me curiously, studying my face. "What?"

"The map," I said, trailing off nervously. "It's…"

Sasuke ripped it out of my hands, looking it over. "I thought this was a map,"

"It was," I insisted.

"Then why's it blank?"

"How should I know?" I muttered, getting defensive.

Sasuke sighed and crumpled it up, deeming it useless, and struggled to get up.

I helped him up, and once up he brushed me off.

The blood on his face was smeared all over his cheeks as he rubbed it, and I bit my lip.

"Let me see," I said, pointing to his eyes.

Sasuke stared at me for a while, contemplating whether or not he would let me.

"I'm one of the best medical ninja in the world. Even if I can't fix it, I'm still curious," I admitted. I wanted to see exactly how the Amaterasu affected the eyes.

Sasuke sat down, and eased into lying down.

I shuffled on my knees over to where his head was.

I lowered my head closer to his to get a better view, but pulled back quickly to prevent my hair from falling on his face.

Using the hair tie on my wrist, I put my pink hair into a quick, messy bun of spikes, and leaned forward once again.

For a while I just stared at his closed eyes, watching how they twitched and moved, until finally asking Sasuke to open his eyes.

It was a little awkward, him staring off into space as I looked into his eyes and our faces inches apart. Even though he wasn't looking at me, it was still a little uncomfortable.

Was he looking at me? It just looked like he was staring at nothing. Maybe he couldn't even see.

However, I forgot all about the awkwardness once I started to examine his eyes. The veins of the eye, the iris, the pupil, I looked over everything, and healed everything just to be in good measure.

The effects of Amaterasu, now that I've looked over his eyes, I realize are permanent, damaging the eyes more every time. If he keeps using it…

"What I did for you is just temporary relief. If you keep using that technique, your eyes…"

Sasuke interrupted me. "I know."

I watched him as he sat up, and got back up on his feet.

"I'm going to take Itachi's eyes soon. That way I'll have eternal eyes."

I sucked in a quick breath. Taking his brothers eyes… I frowned.

"But—"

"Enough. Let's go. The others are waiting," He barked impatiently, and made his way out of the warehouse.

As I was about to leave, standing in the doorway, I stopped.

I tried to move, but I couldn't. Then, I felt a little zap at the back of my neck. After a few moments, I was back to normal.

I frowned, a bead of sweat forming on my forehead. I felt around the back of my neck. Was I bitten?

I shrugged it off, and caught up to Sasuke.

Upon seeing us arrive, Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo all waved.

Suigetsu's face shifted from a smile, to a…different kind of smile.

"Ehhh? Sasuke. I thought you said you were going back in to look for the scrolls,"

Sasuke walked past him. "I was."

Suigetsu nodded with a smile, and slowed down his pace until I passed him. He shuffled over to me.

"So what happened?" He picked curiously.

I looked over at him confused for a few moments, before I realized what he was talking about.

"Some lady in there, a puppet master, had an insane amount of puppets. Three hundred. I found a map to where the scrolls were, but then it ended up being a blank after the fight."

Suigetsu was yawning as I was explaining, and I puffed out my cheek in annoyance as I smacked him on the back of the head. "You wanted to know, don't act like you're sitting through a lecture,"

"Yes, I wanted to know…what happened between Sasuke and you. Not the boring story of how you almost died,"

I raised my eyebrow at him. "What happened between me and Sasuke?"

"Yeah. Sasuke told us not to go help anyone if they were engaged in combat, and yet…" He looked at me, this time he was the one raising an eyebrow.

I was confused. "He said he was looking for the scrolls, and on the way he saw me in combat. Remember, we're all necessary," I mocked Sasuke's low voice.

Suigetsu seemed dumbfounded as he stared at me, and was about to say something, but then just dropped it. "Man, you're really stupid…" He murmured as he face palmed.

I felt a vein pop in my forehead. "I get the highest grades in my year," I defended myself, as I gave him a quick jab to the stomach.

Before he could say anything else, I walked away. I decided to go walk beside Karin now.

It was a mistake.

As soon as I went beside her, she chewed me out. Accusing me of being things like a succubus, and man stealer, and the normal Karin things. I slowly glided away from her.

I could always count on Juugo. He was understanding, and not judgmental. I went to go walk beside him.

As soon as I did, he turned to look down at me. I smiled up at him.

In an instant, he put on the saddest expression I've ever seen, and bowed his head, murmuring something. I could only make out, 'I give up,'

I glided away from him, too. What was with everyone today?

I decided to risk it and go walk beside Sasuke.

He didn't acknowledge my presence, but instead just kept trudging through the sand.

I remembered my earlier conversation with Suigetsu, on why Sasuke saved me, and decided to bring it up.

"About earlier," I began, kicking some of the sand clumps that were at my feet. "Why did you help me? You said yourself not to help anyone."

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched and his mouth turned down at the corners, as if this was a conversation he wanted to avoid.

"I don't have to explain myself to you," He murmured coldly.

"But you set rules that saving someone else wasn't allowed,"

"Shut up. I changed my mind," There was something about how he said that, that warned me not to bring it up again, so I didn't.

I frowned. If Sasuke doesn't follow his own rules how can he expect us to?

"We're here," Sasuke called out, loud enough for us all to hear.

I looked around. We were in the middle of the desert, no buildings or anything in sight.

I knew Sasuke's eyes were bad, but…

No one said anything though, and Sasuke sat down. Everyone else did, too.

"Madara's coming to get us. He should be here soon."

We all waited in silence. After a few minutes, I lied on the warm sand, feeling it on my skin. It felt nice.

I could feel myself slipping out of consciousness, but I didn't mind. I suddenly felt how exhausted I was, and just let the darkness overcome me. They can just wake me up.

"SAKURA!" A familiar voice screamed into my ear.

I shot up, grains of sand falling off my body. I whipped my head over at Suigetsu, grinding my teeth. "WHAT?" I barked out, just as loud.

"Madara's here," He pointed to the man looming over me. I backed up a little.

"That was fast," I pointed out, causing Suigetsu to cock his head to the side.

"Sure, if you consider two hours fast,"

I raised my eyebrows. It didn't even feel like I fell asleep.

"Get up," Sasuke ordered, looking down at me. I scrambled to my feet, feeling lightheaded from sleeping.

Within seconds of me being up, I was sucked into some weird portal. Madara grabbed me by the wrist, and in a flash, all of us were transported to another area.

Instead of landing rather harshly like I thought I would, I landed on a nice, thick carpet. It was a surprise, but a pleasant one.

Now that we were out of the desert, Madara brought up what he wanted to talk about.

"Sasuke, you have blood stains on your cheeks. You used Amaterasu, didn't you?"

Sasuke made direct eye contact with the visible red eye. "Yeah,"

Madara shook his head and crossed his arms.

"I told you that you shouldn't risk using that until you have Itachi's eyes. The only exception to using Amaterasu was if your life was in absolute peril, to save _yourself_," Madara's red eye lingered on me.

I played with my hair nervously.

"My technique, my rules," Sasuke said, still looking ahead.

I looked up at him, and noticed something.

Instead of the dark black that his eyes usually were, they were now a faded grey. My forehead crinkled.

"…Sasuke-kun?" I cursed myself for using the 'kun,' but it just seemed to slip out whenever I was worried about him. "Your eyes…can you see?"

Sasuke turned his back to me. "Doesn't matter. Madara, give me Itachi's eyes now," The black haired boy ordered as he walked towards a wooden door.

Madara chuckled to himself, and agreed. Before going off with Sasuke, he turned to Suigetsu, Juugo, Karin and me, and pointed to his right.

"You guys can stay in the living room for now. May take a while," He explained as he followed after Sasuke, disappearing into the door.

All four of us stood there for a while, feeling uncomfortable.

Suigetsu got wheels going. "Sooo, I guess we should go," He mumbled, making his way to the living room.

We all nodded in agreement and followed after him.

As soon as we got into the living room, Suigetsu gasped, and clutched at his heart dramatically. He fell over, and I caught him.

"I'm so happy…" He said weakly as I helped him up.

"What? What's wrong?" I wondered, looking around. What's so fascinating in this room that it could cause a teenage boy to—I grimaced as my eyes rested upon it.

"Waiii~!" Suigetsu hummed, galloping towards it. We sweat dropped.

The white haired boy hugged the Xbox tenderly in his arms, rubbing his cheek against it.

"Idiot…" I grumbled, walking over to the fridge. We haven't eaten since this morning, so I was starving—especially after emptying my stomach earlier.

The fridge was full of raw meat, or raw ingredients, which required cooking. And I was too tired to be bothered with that at the moment. I went to the cupboard instead.

My eyes rested on the instant ramen, and I smiled, thinking of that spiky blonde haired idiot. I took it out and boiled some water.

Juugo was watching me.

"You don't seem like the type who eats that kind of stuff," He observed.

"Why, because I'm a medical ninja?" I asked, mixing the noodles. If he thought medical ninjas ate well just because they were medical ninja's, he was sadly mistaken.

Shishou was a perfect example. She ate the worst things possible for the human body, and to top it off, destroys her liver and other organs by consuming so much alcohol.

Shizune ate pretty healthy, and I'd say I ate average. I had take out every once in a while and ate chips, but since I live with my parents, I usually had home cooked meals, 'specially since my mom was a civilian. She didn't go on missions or anything like that.

I was so lost in thought about recalling my fellow companions back in Konoha, I didn't realize Juugo had went to sit on one of the cream coloured couches in front of the plasma, after being challenged to a game by Suigetsu.

I went over by the couch area too, eating at the little coffee table instead of the actual kitchen table.

"Sakura, you wanna play the winner? In other words, you wanna play me after?" Suigetsu offered, gesturing to the controller Juugo was currently mashing the buttons of.

I shook my head, not able to speak due to the mouthful of noodles.

I wondered why Karin was being so quiet, and looked over to see that she was currently occupying the loveseat, lying down on it. Soft snores left her lips. I stared at her for a while. She was pretty, but the crude things she says and her attitude makes her ugly. I was able to appreciate her appearance more when she was quiet like this.

Suigetsu paused the game and looked up in reaction to hearing the door open, and I looked over at it, too.

Madara stepped in, and my eyes widened when I saw the blood on his latex gloved hands.

"Just wanted to let you know that I just finished up on Sasuke. He'll be ready to go in a bit."

We all nodded silently, not sure what to say.

I went back to eating my noodles timidly, hoping he would leave.

"Sakura, can I speak to you for a second?"

I choked on one of the noodles, covering my mouth with my arm as I coughed.

"Uh—uh, sure," I quickly agreed as I wiped my mouth, and a tear at my eye.

Madara left the room, the door swinging shut behind him. I followed, giving the others a, 'don't touch my noodles' look.

Suigetsu saw my face and snickered, giving me a, 'you're gonna die anyway' look.

Last thing I saw before the door closed was his hand creeping towards my bowl.

Madara and I were in the main entrance now—it looked like a lobby for a hotel.

He sat on a loveseat, and I stared at it. No way was I sitting beside Madara.

I sat on a single couch across him. There was a table in between us. He rested his feet on it.

"So, Sakura, how are you?"

I frowned, staring at him. I didn't respond. Why would I? It's not like he cared.

He chuckled a muffled chuckle underneath his hideous mask.

"I see…" He let his voice trail off.

We sat there in silence for one minute. I was counting the ticks of the clock.

With every tick, the butterflies in my stomach multiplied.

"I'll get right to it. Sakura, I'm giving you two choices. The first choice,"

Madara stuck up his index finger.

"Stay here with us, with Sasuke, on team Taka. Forever. Until you die. Or we die. Whichever comes first. You know too much, so we can't possibly let you leave," He explained, now moving his index finger back and forth, like a mother would do to a misbehaving child.

"And the second?"

"And the second," He raised his middle finger now.

"I will let you leave, ignoring what all the others say…I'll even personally escort you safely back to Konoha,"

I frowned, a sweat drop on my forehead. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind this had a catch. I was just nervous to hear what it was.

"If, you get rid of one of Taka's current members."

I swallowed. "By get rid of, you mean…"

"Yes, kill."

My eyebrow twitched and I bit my lip. Not only could I not believe the catch, I couldn't believe I was considering it.

To see my parents, to see Naruto's stupid face, to see my Shishou, to sleep in my bed… It all seemed like a luxury now. A luxury I'd never have again.

"Which member?" I asked steadily.

"Juugo."

I sucked in a breath through my teeth. I wasn't planning on doing it, no matter who he said I was to kill, I just wanted to know for curiosity sake. But _Juugo?_

I was expecting him to say Karin. Did he really think I could take Juugo?

My eyes widened a fraction as I realized it. He must have seen the realization in my eyes, cause he chuckled.

He wants me and only me to take out Juugo because..

"Juugo's great. He really Is. Good strength. But the outbursts we have to put up with just isn't worth it. If Sasuke dies in battle, which I doubt he will, but if he does, we won't be able to control Juugo. Only Sasuke can do that. And it's not worth it to keep Juugo around. Sasuke's strong enough to make up for his absence."

I looked into my lap, remembering when he lost control in front of me. Only Sasuke could control that?

"And the reason I picked you, is because he loves you,"

The way he said love made me want to smack him.

"You could sneak up on him, pretend to hug him and slit his throat. Or just straight out say you need to kill him. If you do it that way, because he loves you, he wouldn't fight back, I warrant."

Fingernail prints were indented into my palm from clenching such a tight fist.

Madara must have misunderstood my look of anger for one of contemplation, because he began to get up.

"Well, I'll let you think abou—"

"No," I shook my head, quickly rising to my feet as well.

Madara stopped to look at me.

"There's nothing to think about," My voice was starting to get louder. "If it means killing one of my comrades, one of my friends, then I guess I'm staying in team Taka forever,"

I sat back down, trying to calm down.

He knew I was going to say that. I just know it. He just wanted to hear me say I was never going to leave. Even If I did kill Juugo he probably wouldn't let me leave. Then why was he doing this?

I looked up at him with hate filled eyes, and he looked down at me with his as well.

"Very well," He said, holding out his hand for a shake.

The corners of my mouth turned down in disgust at the thought of touching his hand willingly, but I got up and did so anyway.

Suddenly Madara's hand slithered up my body and rested on the back of my neck. I was so shocked I didn't move.

His fingers fiddled with the back of my neck for a while, feeling for something.

After a moment, he let go, his eye smiling.

"What?" I asked carefully.

"Nothing. I'll let Sasuke deal with that later," Madara said, clear amusement in his voice, and went into the living room with the others. 

I felt the back of my neck, and remembered being bitten there earlier.

**  
><em>As I was about to leave, standing in the doorway, I stopped.<em>

_I tried to move, but I couldn't. Then, I felt a little zap at the back of my neck. After a few moments, I was back to normal._

_I frowned, a bead of sweat forming on my forehead. I felt around the back of my neck. Was I bitten?_

_I shrugged it off, and caught up to Sasuke.  
><em>

I left it for now, once again, and headed toward the room where Sasuke was currently in. I wasn't sure if I was allowed, but I went anyway.

I looked to see if Madara was there before slipping in, shutting the door softly behind me.


	18. Itachi's eyes

'**Kay guys! Here's the next chapter. Hope ya like it. ^^****  
><strong> 

Even though I shut the door as quietly as I could, it sounded like a huge crash in the quiet room.

My emerald eyes looked around steadily as I took a step forward.

There were jars on the shelves, containing things that I couldn't quite make out. I didn't want to get close enough to find out what exactly what they were, either.

The room had no electricity, only being dimly lit by candles. And of course, Sasuke was lying on a table in the center.

A few blankets were thrown on the table, trying to make it more comfortable I presumed, but it still just looked, and probably felt, like a hard stiff table.

I couldn't help but notice the blood droplets on the blanket, and leading out of the room.

I remembered Madara's hands. Sasuke's eyes.

I stepped closer to Sasuke. He was breathing steadily, clamping his hands over each eye.

It made me wonder if Madara had already made the transplant, or was Sasuke currently without any eyes?

I shivered at the thought. No, Madara said he had already finished. So now…Sasuke had Itachi's eyes?

I pulled out a stool from under one of the tables with the jars on them, and dragged it over to Sasuke's bed-table-thing.

As I sat, I looked down at him cautiously. He hasn't moved since I came in, or acknowledged my presence.

I just sat there, not saying anything, looking down at him with my hands balled up into fists on my lap. I started to fidget with my fingers, but looked up when I heard movement.

Sasuke, still covering his eyes, sat up slowly, and remained like that for another five minutes.

I watched at the candle flame dance on the wax rod, shooing away the darkness.

Watching Sasuke from the corner of my eye, I turned my full attention to him when I saw him slowly lower his hands.

His eyes were closed at first, but they slowly opened, revealing black eyes.

I cocked my head to the side. They looked just like Sasuke's normal eyes. Well, I guess your eye shape stays the same no matter what. Why was I expecting such a big difference?

"Now I can activate even stronger Sharingan's than before," Sasuke mumbled, blinking rapidly to test his eyes.

I didn't know what to say, so I just sat there, still studying his eyes. Was he really okay with taking his brothers eyes? The brother he hated so much, that killed his family? Didn't it disgust him?

"Are there any side effects from the transplant? It was done pretty quickly, so it may have been done sloppily. If it hurts, I can try and heal it to ease the pain," I offered, raising my hands and letting a bit of my green chakra radiate.

Sasuke looked at my hands for a few moments, but then looked back down, smiling.

"No. I feel great. I can practically feel Itachi's power…I've never felt better, Sakura."

I watched his smile curve a bit more, and my forehead creased. Sasuke was acting weird. Did power really mean that much to him?

"No one in Konoha will stand a chance against me now," He paused and raised his hand, clenching his fist. "Not even Naruto."

I frowned. I guess a part of me was happy, as much as I denied it, to be back with Sasuke. I didn't really take in the full severity of the situation.

But looking at his power hungry eyes, and the way he sounded so excited to destroy Konoha, …it scared me.

The old Sasuke was definitely gone. My eyes suddenly stung.

But so did my hand. I also had the urge to slap him, but I wouldn't dare. His expression was scaring me.

"Sasuke," I started, but suddenly my body went stiff. Sasuke looked up at me, his smile gone.

I tried to speak, but I couldn't. Not only could I not speak, I couldn't move. The only thing I had control of was my breathing and my eyes.

I looked down at my hand, breathing slowly.

Don't panic.

I tried to ball it up into a fist, as I was doing a few minutes ago, but it just lay limp at my side.

"Sasuke," I said again, but this time it wasn't me. It was coming out of my mouth, and it was my voice, but it wasn't me.

My hands started playing with my hair nervously, and I looked up at Sasuke. He was raising a calm eyebrow, but otherwise normal.

I watched in silent horror as my hand slithered up to cup Sasuke's face, and the other rested on his bare chest.

My hand on his chest glided down till it was resting on his leg.

Even though my eye movement was the only thing I had control of besides my breathing, I didn't dare look at Sasuke. My face was beet red, and my heart was pounding.

Why was this happening?

My hand that was cupping his face left, and went to the zipper on my shirt. My eyes widened. No.

Now I desperately fought for control, to the point where it hurt, but it was no use.

My head leaned forward and my lips gently touched Sasuke's neck. He must have felt how hot my face was.

Why wasn't he saying anything? Did he not realize this wasn't me?

Sasuke became animated again. One hand was on my waist, and the other was creeping up my back.

Finally, he cupped the back of my neck.

No, Sasuke. You need to stop. This isn't me, I'm not doing this..

"Sasuke..I want you.." I breathed on his neck, in a voice that I didn't even know I had. My face was on fire now, and Sasuke's grip on the back of my neck tightened.

Sasuke put his lips to my ear.

"Amaterasu,"

I felt something at the back of my neck, and my whole body jolted once again. I went stiff for a few moments, but then fell limp on the floor.

Sasuke was looking up at the vent, and I looked, too.

A blue chakra string was in the air, and was now engulfed in the black flames.

"What…" I stuttered in my own voice, looking up.

A few seconds later, a blood curling scream echoed through the vents, and I winced.

Eventually it died out, and Sasuke stared at the black flames, seemingly putting them out.

The black haired boy gripped onto the chakra string and yanked it, causing a body to come out of the vents.

I gasped as I recognized the woman.

The pixie cut woman from earlier, with the deformed body, dropped out of the vent.

I was confused.

"I…" I slurred. For some reason I couldn't speak properly. Also, when I tried to stand, my legs just wobbled and then gave out.

"You must have felt it. She attached a chakra string to the back of your neck, connecting it to your nerves. Doing that, she was granted control over you," Sasuke explained in a bored voice, as if he desperately wanted to leave.

I suddenly felt retarded for brushing it off as a bug bite.

"I noticed it a while back, but didn't call her out on it. I just sent my Amaterasu up the chakra string, which would eventually lead to her," Sasuke mumbled, kicking her dead body.

"It also gave me a reason to test out my Amaterasu," His smirk was back. I noticed that he wasn't bleeding from the eyes like last time. Thanks to Itachi's eyes, huh?

I just nodded, and tried to get up once again, but couldn't. I wasn't still being controlled, was I?

Sasuke looked down at me as he put on a shirt.

"While you were being controlled, she completely overrode your nervous system. That caused your muscles to go into a jelly type state. They just sat dormant as she did her deed. They'll regain function soon." He explained, zipping up his shirt. When he was done with that, he made his way to the door.

I panicked. He wasn't going to leave me in this room until they started to work, was he? My green eyes wandered to all the jars, and examined their belongings.

And what if Madara came back and found me here? What would he do? I would be defenseless.

I shivered, and tried to get up.

Upon hearing my struggle to get up, Sasuke looked back, as if he just remembered me.

Wordlessly, he made his way toward me. He stood there for a few seconds just looking down at me, before he scooped me up in his arms.

My eyes widened a fraction. I was expecting to be slung over his shoulder.

Instead, he picked me up bridal style. I was sort of thankful for the limpness of my body, otherwise I would have been frozen stiff, and he would have felt it.

My head rested on his chest, and I could hear his heartbeat. Despite how crazy and obsessed with revenge and power he has gotten, he's still human. And somewhere in there, the old Sasuke was somewhere.

Because, like Naruto had said, "Sasuke is Sasuke."

I smiled, and closed my eyes, breathing in his scent.

Something so simple like picking me up had gotten me flustered, and to Sasuke it was just a simple form of transportation.

Said person, having his hands occupied, kicked open the door to the living room and plopped me on the longest couch. I wasn't surprised to see my noodles all gone, and glared at Suigetsu.

He gave me the peace sign.

Karin was awake, and I guess she must have seen Sasuke carry me in bridal style, so she was glaring at me.

I gave her the peace sign.

**

**Sorry for such a freakishly short chapter. I just wanted to get out an explanation for the whole 'bug bite' thing. Due to the shortness of the chapter, the next one will be out very soon. c:**


	19. Susanoo

**WOO. LONGEST CHAPTER. :D**

**I started this chapter pretty quickly after the last one, but had to wait to finish it 'cause my friend was over. Soon as she left I got back to typing it up. So, here it is, chapter 19! ( technically 18 because of the authors note. ) ; o ;**

**This chapter just kind of flowed out of me. No writers block or anything. (:  
>Anyway, enjoy!<strong>

**Oh, and p.s, I presume you're all caught up with the manga or anime and know what Susanoo is. In the dubs I've watched, it's spelt susan'o, but apparently the official spelling is Susanoo.**

**********

I shivered, and tried to get up.

Upon hearing my struggle to get up, Sasuke looked back, as if he just remembered me.

Wordlessly, he made his way toward me. He stood there for a few seconds just looking down at me, before he scooped me up in his arms.

My eyes widened a fraction. I was expecting to be slung over his shoulder.

Instead, he picked me up bridal style. I was sort of thankful for the limpness of my body, otherwise I would have been frozen stiff, and he would have felt it.

My head rested on his chest, and I could hear his heartbeat. Despite how crazy and obsessed with revenge and power he has gotten, he's still human. And somewhere in there, the old Sasuke was somewhere.

Because, like Naruto had said, "Sasuke is Sasuke."

I smiled, and closed my eyes, breathing in his scent.

Something so simple like picking me up had gotten me flustered, and to Sasuke it was just a simple form of transportation.

Said person, having his hands occupied, kicked open the door to the living room and plopped me on the longest couch. I wasn't surprised to see my noodles all gone, and glared at Suigetsu.

He gave me the peace sign.

Karin was awake, and I guess she must have seen Sasuke carry me in bridal style, so she was glaring at me.

I gave her the peace sign.

**

As soon as Sasuke laid me on the couch, he made his way into the kitchen.

I turned my attention away from him, and to the TV. Suigetsu and Karin were against each other, throwing grenades and rocket launchers and firing away their machine guns at each other. I cracked a smile.

I noticed someone staring at me, and from the corner of my eye looked through my pink hair at Juugo.

Suigetsu and Karin were sharing a loveseat, hitting and punching each other while playing to try to mess each other up.

I was on the longest couch lying down, and in between both my couch and the others, Juugo sat on a single couch. He didn't notice me looking over at him, because even after I looked at his face, he kept staring.

It made me a little embarrassed, so I tried to stir a little. It worked. Upon seeing me move, in fear for me maybe looking at him, he quickly diverted his eyes to the screen.

Juugo and I never really talked over about what happened, since a lot of stuff had been happening.

I cringed thinking back to how I broke it to him that I didn't like him back outside of the inn, and face palmed. He must hate me by now.

But he was still so nice to me. I guess that was just his character.

Now that I was on a couch with relaxed muscles, I started to get sleepy.

I was wide awake a few moments ago, but now… I yawned, and could feel my eyelids drooping.

"Tired?"

I flinched. I wasn't expecting anyone to talk to me, and was half asleep so the near voice startled me.

I smiled, and was about to rub my eye, but gave up when it took too much effort.

"It's a—" Juugo started, only to be cut off by a screaming Karin.

"_**FUCK**_** YEAH**!" She screamed, kicking her foot down on the floor repeatedly. She turned and pointed her finger in Suigetsu's face. "I win, you lose."

Suigetsu slapped her. "Rematch!" He demanded, shoving the controller into her stomach. "I forgot I had a rocket launcher," He huffed.

Now that they were concentrating on playing the game, it got a little quieter. A little.

"It's a little loud in here," Juugo finished his cut off sentence from earlier.

I nodded in agreement, wondering if this was small talk or if he was getting to a point. It's not like I don't like talking to him, but if it was just small talk, I'd prefer to sleep.

"So do you want me to take you to one of the bedrooms upstairs? I saw one when I was going to the bathroom," Juugo offered, pointing up.

I considered. If I stayed down here, I was safe with everyone. Despite it being loud, once I'm asleep, I'm asleep.

Buut, If I go into a room, I'll have a comfy bed, away from all this screaming.

The choice was pretty clear to me.

I was going to respond, but released a huge yawn first. A little embarrassed, I didn't make eye contact with him.

"Yes please," I nodded.

Juugo chuckled under his breath, and got up off of his seat.

Carefully, he slid his hands under my body and heaved me up off the couch. I noticed he was being very gentle. He must know there was something wrong with me. My lack of movement, maybe.

Suigetsu's purple eyes flashed over to me and Juugo, and he snickered, presumably about to make a dirty joke, until Karin threw eight grenades at him consecutively.

"Hehe, yo—WAAAH! YOU BITCH!" Suigetsu screamed, completely forgetting whatever he was about to say and turning back to the game.

The living room and kitchen were connected, making you go up about two small stairs to get to the kitchen. The door to exit the living room / kitchen was in the kitchen.

Juugo made his way to the steps, and I forgot all about Sasuke being in there until I saw him at the table eating.

He was watching Karin and Juugo play the video game with an extremely bored expression while he blew on a forkful of noodles.

His expression was so bored it made me bored looking at it.

He was still blowing on his noodles. You could see the steam coming from it, and I cocked an eyebrow. You would think that someone who could shoot fireballs out of their mouth would be able to eat steaming noodles.

A smiled when I realized he was eating instant ramen.

I couldn't help but wonder, with even something so insignificant like that, if it reminded him, and made him think of Naruto.

Sighing, I shook my head to myself slightly. Probably not.

Juugo left the kitchen/living room area, the door swinging shut behind him.

Due to my currently limp muscles, I couldn't hold my head up anymore, and plopped it down to lean on Juugo's chest.

I heard his slight intake of air, which made me wonder if the sudden movement startled him.

Now that my head was leaning on him, my ear was pressed against his chest, and I could hear his heartbeat.

Unlike Sasuke's smooth and steady heartbeat, Juugo's was fast, and I could feel it thumping against his chest.

I momentarily felt uncomfortable. Was I too heavy that it was that much of a workout just to carry me?

No, I've seen him in a T-shirt. He had more muscles than Sasuke, and Sasuke carried me no problem.

My attention snapped back to the present when I heard a door creak open, and I realized that it was Juugo opening the door to the room where I'd be napping.

It didn't look like it belonged to anyone, and that relieved me. No way was I going to sleep in Madara's room. This was probably a guest room.

Though even if it wasn't his room, I was still worried about him coming in.

Juugo put me down on the bed softly, and when I made no move to put the blanket over myself, he did it for me.

"Thank you," I murmured, even more sleepy now that I was in an actual bed. It felt much better than the couch and the thin mats at the inns.

Juugo noticed I was falling asleep, so he didn't bother talking any more. He brushed a strand of hair out of my face, which I was glad he did since I couldn't really move my arm, and he shut the door as he made his way out.

**

I felt a hand brush my hair out of my face, lingering there for longer than it should. Even after the hair was out of the way, they started doing a petting motion.

I figured it was Juugo.

The hand disappeared, but soon after came back, giving me two slight pats on the cheek.

I frowned, my eyes still closed. "Juugo…" I mumbled, stirring.

I still couldn't move. Well, before I just plain couldn't move. Now I could, but I was too sore. Even when I tried to lift my arm a centimeter, it sent a shooting pain up my arm. I flinched at the pain, and gave up.

When Juugo didn't respond to me calling his name, I slowly opened my eyes. My eyes were blurred from sleep, but I knew it was Juugo because of the orange.

Because I couldn't rub my eyes, I had to blink them rapidly to get them to clear.

Regaining my regular vision, I glanced up at Juugo, and took in a harsh intake of air.

What was _he_ doing here?

The orange I had seen earlier was not Juugo's fiery hair, but instead Madara's mask.

"Hello, Sakura." He greeted, pulling out the chair that was underneath a desk beside the bed. He pulled it beside the bed I was in and took a seat.

I looked at him in acknowledgement.

This was what I was most afraid of. This was why I didn't want to come upstairs to sleep. Now I was separated by everyone else, on a whole other level.

Not only that, but right now I might as well just have been a rock. I couldn't move at all, and the pain was way too much to handle to even consider forcing myself.

"I wanted to have a talk with you," Madara said casually. For some reason I remembered before when I was half asleep and I thought he was Juugo. He played with my hair and touched my cheek.

Repulsed, I grimaced.

"Again?" I asked skeptically, my hard green eyes on his red.

His shoulders started moving up and down quickly, so I assumed he was laughing, even though he didn't make a sound. "Our talk from before was so nice, I wanted to have another one," He explained, pushing in the chair a little closer.

I tried to move a bit away on the bed, but my muscles reminded me that it was not a good idea.

"Relax, I just want to talk," He said in his muffled voice.

I inwardly scoffed. Madara Uchiha telling someone to relax because of him? How could anyone be relaxed with this guy?

"Then talk."

Madara leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. "I'll make this quick. I want you to know the truth about Itachi,"

The truth about..

I cocked an eyebrow, looking at him skeptically. "The truth about Itachi?" I repeated.

Madara gave me a slight nod.

"You all think he was an evil man who destroyed the Uchiha clan, slaughtering all of them, no? But he did it because he was commanded to because of the higher ups. He had no choice."

I snorted. "You really expect me to believe this? Then why is Sasuke-kun still alive?"

"Because no matter what, Itachi couldn't bring himself to kill his younger brother."

I felt a quick wave of sadness wash over me, but quickly dismissed it. This was Madara. He knew how to manipulate people.

"I doubt this is true. If it is, then why didn't you tell Sasuke-kun?"

Madara's red eye squinted, and I could tell he was smiling. "I did,"

I was slightly taken aback. I was expecting a lame excuse for why he couldn't tell Sasuke. But…

"Then if what you said about Itachi is true, and you did tell Sasuke-kun, then why does Sasuke-kun still want to destroy Konoha?"

Madara changed his seating position. Instead of leaning back, he leaned forward, making eye contact with me.

"Because the higher ups of Konoha are the ones who made Itachi slaughter his own family," Itachi's eye stared at my face, waiting for my reaction.

It slowly sunk in. "Then, That's why Danzo…"

"Yes, that's why he killed Danzo," Madara looked up, as if remembering the incident.

I wiped the surprised expression off of my face. I wasn't going to believe this so easily.

"And Sasuke-kun believes this?" After all those years of hating Itachi and being convinced it was him who slaughtered his family…I can't imagine his mind being changed so easily.

"Yes," Madara murmured behind his orange mask. "Because it's the truth,"

My mind was racing. Itachi was okay with Sasuke hating him, although Itachi had no choice but to do what he did?

I didn't know what to think. I averted my gaze from the wall, to Madara, who started to stand up, and pace around the room.

"Yes, it's the truth…" He trailed off, and made his way over to my bed. "At least, that's what Sasuke thinks."

I frowned, my eyes widening as I looked up at Madara. His eye was so squinted you could hardly see the red iris.

I could only imagine what kind of twisted smile he wore.

Madara knew that Sasuke was strong enough to kill Itachi. And Madara also knew that once Sasuke killed Itachi, he would return to the leaf.

So in order to prevent that, and to get him to dance to Madara's tune, Madara made up that lie…

I was suddenly filled with anger, to the point where I got dizzy. Madara's the reason Sasuke isn't back in Konoha when he should be. Madara's the reason why Naruto, everyday, has to remember how he couldn't save Sasuke and keep our promise.

I looked up at him with the most hate I've ever felt for an individual before in my life.

I closed my mouth and breathed through my nose, trying to calm myself down enough to be able to speak evenly.

"Why did you tell me all this?"

Madara didn't respond. Instead, his shoulders started shaking. At first I couldn't hear him laugh at all, but eventually I started to hear a small, muffled laugh. It was high and sounded like a laugh of a madman.

His hands were covering his face as he laughed. I stared at him, my hate for him increasing every time he laughed.

"For fun," He finally admitted in a high voice, and started laughing again soon after.

I heard a slight buzz in my ear. In fact, it was the only thing I could hear. I just stared at him.

My desire to kill someone has never been this bad.

"Sasuke won't believe you," He continued, still laughing hysterically, and turned his back to me, hunching over as his laughs increased.

My body moved on its own.

I tore the blanket off of my body, and went right up to Madara. I turned him around and grabbed his Akatsuki robe right by the collar and slammed him against the wall, tears in my eyes.

"You…" I choked out, the tears falling out.

I pulled him back away from the wall just so I could slam him into it another time. A few cracks were made.

My body was hot with anger. The flames of pain from moving my muscles now felt like nothing.

I stared into Madara's red eyes with my tear coated green eyes.

I didn't know why I attacked him like that, or if I thought I could actually beat him.

It was clear he was letting me hurt him. If he wanted it, I would have been dead already.

I slid to the floor and onto my knees, grabbing onto the bottom of his Akatsuki robe as I cried.

Madara was not laughing anymore. He let me weep for a few seconds, before grabbing me by my pink hair and pulling me up to his height.

Once we were eye to eye, he snaked his fingers around my neck, and shoved me into the wall instead.

I made a choking noise, and kicked my legs. Now that my anger from before was gone, I felt the aftermath pain from using my muscles.

I almost passed out from the pain, but Madara made sure I didn't.

His eye, which used to be filled with amusement and joy and madness and satisfaction and all things Madara, were now blank.

**

**Juugo's P.O.V**

I set her down gently. I didn't know what, but there was definitely something wrong. Sakura usually covers her mouth when she yawns, but instead it was limp at her sides.

She felt so weak in my arms. My eyebrows were knitted as I set her down on the bed.

As I was staring at her face, I noticed a few strands of her pink hair were softly spread out on her face.

I smiled when I watched Sakura's nose twitch in irritation, another reason why I knew something was wrong with her. Normally you'd just brush the hair out of your face.

My heartbeat quickening a bit, I steadily lowered my hand near her face to brush the pink locks aside.

Her eyes fluttered open a bit, piercing jade eyes looking up at me. Her eyes held me in place, and I was unable to move. I just stared, mouth open like an idiot, down at her.

She was too tired to say anything, because she just closed her eyes.

I didn't realize I was holding my breath and standing so stiffly, so I sighed and slouched when her eyes closed.

I tried to shut the door as quietly as I could before heading back downstairs.

Once I was back into the living room area, I took back my seat on the single seat couch.

I watched Karin and Suigetsu kill each other repeatedly on whatever game they were playing, but decided to close my eyes.

It wasn't too hard to drown them out. After all, they were just pointless yelling. If it was an actually intellectual conversation, It would make me pay attention.

I thought of Sakura's sleepy face, and suddenly I became sleepy.

I considered going up there and sleeping in the same bed beside her, and my eyes shot open, my face beet red.

Why did I think of that?

I frowned, closing my eyes again and resting my head on the couch.

The only thing I was worried about was leaving her alone up there with Madara lurking around.

_Maybe I should go keep an eye on her…_ I thought with my forehead creased. After all, it would give me an excuse to sit at the bedside.

Shaking my head, I decided I was being too over protective. Why would Madara want to go into the room and do something to Sakura? He had no reason. My mind was just running wild.

I just let unconsciousness engulf me.

**

I was woken up harshly…A controller being flung at my face, more specifically.

I opened my eyes in shock, and watched the controller fall to my lap.

"Whoops," Suigetsu snickered, coming over and grabbing the controller off my lap. "Slipped outta my hand,"

I cocked an eyebrow as I looked up at him. Even if it did slip, why'd it fly at me? He was playing pretty intensely.

I shook it off and got up. Sasuke had long since finished his noodles, but the aroma was still in the air, and it was making me hungry.

I walked over to the fridge, looking inside. Most of the stuff had to be cooked, and I considered cooking something.

Smiling, I considered cooking something not only for me, but having a meal ready for Sakura when she woke up. She only had cup ramen, and didn't even finish it all thanks to Suigetsu.

I started getting excited at the thought of cooking her a meal, forgetting about my own hunger. I smiled as I imagined her reaction.

"Juugo,"

Sasuke's harsh cold voice cut into my fantasy like knives. I flinched violently and spun around to look at him quickly, as if caught doing something I wasn't supposed to be doing.

it felt as though he saw my little fantasy and was calling me out on it. I blushed.

"Er, what?" I wondered, scratching my face nervously.

"Where's Sakura?" Sasuke didn't look at me as he said this. He was currently polishing his Katana.

"Oh, er, sleeping." Right. I didn't' tell him where I was going with her. Him thinking she was going to the bathroom was out of the question since she's been up there for about an hour, and since I was carrying her.

…Maybe he thought I was helping her escape? I laughed nervously.

"Where?" he asked, sounding un interested, still focusing all of his attention on his sword. He held it up, holding it in the light as he looked at it, then put it back in his belt.

Now he spun in the kitchen chair, turning to look at me full on. His black eyes poured into my brown ones, and I shifted my weight nervously.

I pointed upwards. "Er, in one of the bedrooms. It looked like a guest room, though."

Upon hearing that, Sasuke stood up immediately, placing his hand on his sword gently.

"And she's alone? No shadow clone up there with her?"

He was shorter than me, but his personality made me feel smaller. A shadow clone? I hadn't even thought of that.

I brought my gaze from the floor to his face. His glare was so intense I put mine right back to the floor.

"No, I didn't leave anyone with her. Why, though? She's just—"

Before I could finish, Sasuke's eyes flashed red and he started to walk out of the room.

"Shit," I heard him seethe just before the door closed.

I swung it back open, only to see him already halfway up the huge staircase. He was fast.

I ran up to catch up to him.

"What? What's wrong? Did something happen to Sakura?"

he didn't answer me.

"Sasu—"

"Urusai," His shut up slapped me in the face, and I looked down. What was the big deal with her being up there alone?

once we were at the top floor, Sasuke turned to look at me.

Even though he was staring right at me, it looked more like he was looking through me. He wasn't there. He was thinking about something else.

I was studying him closely, when suddenly his red eyes instantly focused on me harshly, and he pointed to the lines of doors.

"Which one?" He demanded, gesturing to all of the doors. It took me a second to get that he wanted to know which one Sakura was in.

Well apparently Sasuke didn't have that second, because he didn't wait for my answer.

he walked down all of the doors with a bored look on his face, kicking down every door he passed by.

Finally though, he got to the one Sakura was in.

As soon as you open the door you can see the bed. I was expecting to see Sakura sleeping peacefully, but instead the bed was a mess, the sheets crumpled and torn off and the blanket thrown across the room.

Sasuke walked inside calmly, though I noticed his fingers twitching.

He looked to the side, and I wondered what he was looking at.

His eyes, usually un interested and almost half lidded, widened as he frowned.

I watched his iris's change from blood red, to a different blood red.

He switched Sharingan's? To a more powerful one, perhaps?

What was he looking at, though? And where was Sakura…?

Nervously, I walked up behind him, and looked in the direction he was looking.

As I took it in, I couldn't help but feel my expression was an exact replica of Sasuke's.

I felt my curse mark tingle anxiously, and I almost didn't want to suppress it.

"Ah, hello,"

Madara was pressing Sakura up against the wall, grabbing her by the neck.

Her hands were weakly clawing at his, but it was doing next to nothing.

Sakura's eyes made contact with ours, and making eye contact with her while she was in such a desperate state made me even angrier at Madara.

I was about to let my curse mark take over, when Sasuke's voice interrupted.

"What's going on here?" He asked, and I couldn't believe his voice sounded un-interested.

"Oh, this?" Madara looked at Sakura as if he just noticed her there. "Just having a nice conversation with the new medic of Team Taka," he explained behind his mask.

I watched Sasuke's hand flex, and reach for his sword. He spun it, and then tapped it on the ground.

"Oh yeah? Then I'd also like to have a 'conversation' with you," Sasuke murmured.

Madara shook his head. "Sorry, I'm still talking to Sakura."

The orange masked man waved his hand at Sasuke, as if he actually expected us to leave.

Well, I didn't know about Sasuke, but I wasn't leaving.

In a second, Sasuke was behind Madara and his sword was at Madara's neck.

"It wasn't a question. Let go of my medic or we're going to have a long talk."

Madara chuckled, loosening his grip on Sakura.

Sakura gulped air while his hold was loose. Seeing her like that, for the first time since Kimimaro died, I felt like crying.

I noticed Sakura had tears in her eyes. Whether it was from Madara or something that happened before, it still made me want to kill him even more.

I heard a weird noise from Sasuke. I don't even know how to explain it, so I won't try.

In a flash, Madara was no longer in front of Sasuke. He relocated to another part of the room, gaining distance between him and the younger Uchiha.

"I'll get you a new medic, Sasuke," Madara offered, once again tightening his grasp on Sakura.

Sasuke put shifted his weight and put a hand on his hip. Either he was actually calm, or a damn good bluffer.

"Unless it's Tsunade, no one else will do." Sasuke said coldly, ending the compromise there.

Madara popped his head up, as if he was surprised.

"Is this Sakura really that great of a medic?" Madara questioned, stroking his mask with his hand.

Madara looked from me, to Sasuke, and finally, to Sakura.

"Well, let's find out," He announced, and pulled out a kunai from his robes.

Sasuke immediately stopped his casual stance, and got his Katana ready, watching Madara.

The masked man looked at the Kunai for a few moments, and then to Sakura, then back to the Kunai, then back to Sakura, as if deciding what to do.

Then suddenly without warning, he thrust the kunai into Sakura's chest, and let go of her neck so that we could hear her pained cry.

"Sakura!" I screamed, unsure of what to do.

I was so angry I was dizzy. I toppled over, smacking into the wall, which prevented me from falling.

"If she's such a great medic, this will be no problem for her, right?"

Sasuke was still, and I wondered if he still had that calm expression on his face.

I looked over at him from the corner of my eye.

His bangs were partially covering his eyes, casting a shadow down his face.

His eyes were open wide, blood red, and he was staring at the place where Madara had just stabbed Sakura.

Madara giggled under his mask, pushing the kunai in a bit deeper, and twisting it.

Sakura made a choking noise, and I watched as blood poured out of her mouth.

I was about to scream stop, when I noticed something.

A purple glow was radiating around Sasuke. At first I thought It was his curse mark, but I quickly remembered Itachi had rid Sasuke of his curse mark.

I watched in anticipation. I had a guess of what it was, but I didn't actually think…

"Madara." Sasuke said in a low voice. It wasn't composed like it usually was.

"Hm?" Madara cocked his head to the side. As he turned his head, he also turned the Kunai that was in Sakura.

Suddenly Susanoo burst out of Sasuke. It wasn't just the bones, though. It had flesh, and even pieces of armor. I stared with my mouth open, and backed up a little.

Sakura's eyes were half lidded. She was almost unconscious, but her eyes widened when she saw that.

"Sasu…ke—k.." Sasuke's eyes were now on Sakura. Sakura didn't get to finish her sentence because of Madara's hold on her.

Madara made eye contact with Sasuke and pulled the kunai out slowly, causing Sakura to let out a shaky breath of relief, but then he shoved it back in. His red eye was squinted in amusement.

"Madara!" Sasuke screamed, his Susanoo gaining it's weapon.

The purple hand of his Susanoo came crashing down at Madara.

Madara, taking Sakura with him, jumped out of the way.

I looked up. Sasuke's Susanoo had destroyed the ceiling of the mansion, and a good chunk of the house considering how big it was.

I could tell by Sasuke's attacks that he was trying to kill Madara.

But it was hard. Sasuke was also trying to kill him without hitting Sakura. Which was even harder.

The Susanoo's bow and arrow appeared, and I frowned in anticipation. Good. A bow and arrow can aim better than a huge fist.

Apparently Madara wasn't expecting the bow and arrow, because he didn't have time to dodge it.

Madara has the ability to make himself go through anything, and have everything go through him. Like a ghost.

In the split second before the arrow hit him, Madara had no choice but to activate that. However, that meant dropping Sakura.

Sasuke didn't look disappointed about him dodging though, so I think he was trying to get him to drop Sakura.

Madara was perched up on the roof of the mansion since it was broken from Sasuke's Susanoo, and dropped Sakura to the floor.

My eyes widened. That was a big drop.

I was about to try and get her, when the hand of Sasuke's Susanoo reached out and caught her, wrapping it's fingers gently around her and bringing her to Sasuke.

Sasuke reached up, the Susanoo dropping Sakura in Sasuke's arms. Sasuke was now carrying Sakura bridal style, and I frowned. Well, I guess he didn't need his hands to fight since Susanoo was controlled via your eyes.

Sasuke stared at Sakura's face for a few seconds, before shooting daggers up at Madara.

Now that Sakura was safely in Sasuke's arms, Sasuke didn't hold back.

The Susanoo's fist came crashing down repeatedly wherever Madara was.

I looked over at Sasuke. Madara would just keep on using his transparent go-through technique if Sasuke kept on attacking relentlessly like that.

I looked at Sasuke's eyes and realized he didn't care.

Sasuke stopped his attacks for a few seconds, causing me and Madara to look at him.

Madara was so intent on watching the Susanoo, that he didn't notice when Sasuke whipped a kunai at him.

I smiled. It wasn't just any kunai that Sasuke threw, but the one that Madara used to stab Sakura. Sasuke took it out and threw it at Madara.

It hit.

We all watched as it stuck in his shoulder.

The amusement in Madara's eye's flashed to anger.

Madara hopped down from where he was on the roof, and raised his hands in surrender.

Sasuke stared at him.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. This was never meant to turn into a fight. But I guess this is a good chance to test her skill. If she can heal that, I'll officially accept her as one of team Taka. If not…" Madara shrugged his shoulders. "Then I guess she dies."

Madara did a few hand seals, and Sasuke's eyes immediately shot up. Sasuke must have recognized the technique Madara was weaving, because Sasuke quickly put Sakura in my arms and ran.

"Madara!" Sasuke screamed, running towards him with a Chidori and his Susanoo.

But Madara escaped, teleporting away.

With Sakura in my arms, I watched Sasuke just stand there. His Susanoo flared up in anger one more time, but slowly diminished until it was gone.

With a few flicks of his wrist, Sasuke's Chidori had also diminished.

I looked down, my forehead creased. But Sakura's life force was also diminishing.

"Sasuke.." I called out nervously, holding a panting Sakura in my arms. The blood wasn't stopping.

Sasuke turned around slowly, his eyes wide. He looked at me, but then looked down at Sakura.

He walked over and took her from me.

Sakura's green eyes cracked open, a layer of sweat was coating her body.

She must have heard what Madara said, because she weakly lifted up her hand and put it where she was pierced, her green chakra desperately trying to fix the wound.

You could tell it was putting a strain on her. She was hardly alive, and yet she was trying to heal herself. I rubbed at my eyes.

She grunted, and the green chakra that was coming out of her hand flared, working faster. But in her weakened state, it wasn't doing much. All it was doing was making her weaker and making the blood pour out faster.

Sasuke reached out and grabbed her wrist, causing her, and me, to look at him.

"Stop it," He commanded.

Sakura didn't resist, and she closed her eyes. I was scared. I couldn't tell if she was dead or asleep.

"Juugo. Get Karin and Suigetsu. We're going to a hospital." 


	20. Trinder's Village

**Please don't come to my house and brutally murder me. I wanted to get this chapter up sooner, I really did. I was just… so…lazy. xD  
>I worked on bits and pieces of it for like, 2 minutes a day, but I was so preoccupied with reading Harry Potter. So I sat down and started to write it properly. Sorry for the longest delay yet, but this is, i think, the second longest chapter. ;D <strong>

_Sakura's green eyes cracked open, a layer of sweat was coating her body._

_She must have heard what Madara said, because she weakly lifted up her hand and put it where she was pierced, her green chakra desperately trying to fix the wound._

_You could tell it was putting a strain on her. She was hardly alive, and yet she was trying to heal herself. I rubbed at my eyes._

_She grunted, and the green chakra that was coming out of her hand flared, working faster. But in her weakened state, it wasn't doing much. All it was doing was making her weaker and making the blood pour out faster._

_Sasuke reached out and grabbed her wrist, causing her, and me, to look at him._

_"Stop it," He commanded._

_Sakura didn't resist, and she closed her eyes. I was scared. I couldn't tell if she was dead or asleep._

_"Juugo. Get Karin and Suigetsu. We're going to a hospital."_

****  
><strong>**SUIGETSU'S P.O.V**

I slurped my water hastily, trying to consume as much water as I could.

Yes, the Idea of savoring it had, indeed, crossed my mind, but in this heat it was just too much to ask for.

I glanced up from the sand at my feet, wanting a change of scenery. My eyes drifted over to Karin.

Speaking of her, I was pretty surprised she hadn't bothered me yet. Must be the heat.

Now my eyes were on Sasuke's back. He was still carrying Sakura.

Props to him. In this heat, I would have dropped her hours ago. I took another sip of water before I spoke up.

"Oi, Sasuke. You gunna tell us where we're going any time soon?" I mumbled, hardly enough energy to speak.

Me and Karin were just playing video games downstairs, when he burst in and told us we were going to the hospital. I didn't complain at the time, of course, seeing the look on his face and how beaten up Sakura was.

But…

I wiped a glistening tear from my eye. I had gotten the highest score I had ever gotten, and Sasuke wouldn't even let me stay long enough to save the progress.

"Look in front of you," Sasuke ordered, interrupting my bitter thoughts. I did as he said, and lifted my eyes from my shoes.

My eyesight was blurry from the heat, but from what I could see…

I wouldn't call it a house, really. More of a shack.

It was a small little house, probably just one room. The windows were concealed with wood from the inside. Actually, let me save the time of describing it. It's just a shithole.

But, a house was a house. And hopefully they had water, and this wasn't just a mirage.

I sped up happily, but then remembered Sakura.

I turned to Sasuke, who also seemed to be speeding up a little bit beside me.

"Didn't you say we were going to a hospital?" This place just looked like a crackhouse.

"Do you really think the Akatsuki can just walk into a hospital?" Called Karin from behind me. I turned around to look at her. The heat had made her even uglier than usual.

"I still don't get why we're here. What are we gonna do, sniff some crack in there?"

Karin scoffed, and I could tell if she had the energy, she would have hit me. I shivered at the thought of her hitting me and causing me to liquefy. I'd probably dry up.

"I know the man in here," Sasuke said, interrupting both of us. "This is where I come when I need to be healed. He's an underground doctor, dealing with injuries that a real hospital would ask questions about."

I nodded in understanding, but then raised my eyes in curiosity. "Wait, why'd he put his place all the way out in the desert?"

I spoke too soon. As soon as the words came out of my mouth, the desert around us vanished. Lush green forest and the occasional pond replaced it.

Staring with my mouth open in awe and confusion, I turned to Sasuke for answers.

"When…Why…" I managed to splutter out in my disbelief.

Sasuke didn't seem at all surprised by the sudden change of scenery.

"We've been out of the desert for around two hours,"

I nodded. Ah. Out of the desert. For two hours.

I whipped my head to turn at him, demanding an explanation from him. However, Karin was the one who gave it.

"O-of course, idiot!" She started, looking equally as flustered as me, which gave me great pleasure. She thought we were in the desert too.

"The reason you thought we were in the desert was because that was just a genjutsu! The owner of that shabby old shit hole must of put that around this area to make it harder to get to, and wearing down whoever was coming, incase they were a criminal!" Karin jabbed her finger at me, and the silence from Sasuke confirmed her theory.

So that's why Sasuke had no trouble carrying Sakura in that heat. Because he had already broken the genjutsu for him.

I felt a vein pulse in my forehead. Bastard. Could have helped us out a little.

Once we were at the door, I reached out my fist to knock, but Sasuke's hand reached out to stop me. I looked at him.

Still holding Sakura, Sasuke walked up to one of the windows that was boarded with wood from the inside, cutting off any view of the interior.

Raising his hand, Sasuke tapped his fingernail on the glass 3 times, and stepped back to the door, waiting.

Slowly, the wooden door creaked open to reveal a young man, probably about 23 or something, wearing a white lab coat and glasses.

Upon taking in Sasuke's appearance, he raised a white gloved hand and waved, stepping back with a smile to let us in.

I heard the door shut behind me, but I wasn't paying attention. Shithole? I take that back.

I was right when I said it only had about one room, though.

The place was just one big room, and it was all white. White tiled floors, white walls, white ceiling, white couches, and white TV.

I spotted a table (surprisingly, it was white) with scalpels and other tools scattered on it, still freshly covered in blood. I grimaced.

"So, so, Sasuke! What can I do for you?" The man asked, though he peered at Sakura through his glasses.

"Not me, her." Sasuke responded, walking over to a table with a thin mat on it, (which had dried splatters of blood on it as well) and set the pinkette down gently.

Mr. Unknown Young Man Doctor Person pushed his glasses up higher on the bridge of his nose, and walked over to inspect Sakura.

Sasuke, Juugo and I lingered about, watching intently. Karin however, walked over to the white couches and sat down.

"Let's see…" The man murmured, his hands hovering over her as if unsure what to do. The blood was still pouring out, and the colour was almost completely gone from Sakura's face. I couldn't tell if she was sleeping or dead.

"Is she still alive," Sasuke asked, though it didn't sound like a question. For some reason, it sounded like a threat. Like if Sakura wasn't alive, it was the doctors fault.

Wiping sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, the man continued to just stare. "I'm not sure," He admitted, and took off his rubber glove to feel Sakura's face. "She's cold," He accounted, and then went for her pulse.

Juugo was shifting nervously, his face was almost as white as the room.

The doctor rested his head on her chest, listening for a beat. Then, he placed his fingers on her neck, feeling for a pulse. Next he hovered his hand a few inches away from Sakura's mouth, feeling for breath.

Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he pulled his hand away, quickly putting on his glove again. "_Shit,_" He seethed, and unzipped Sakura's shirt, pulling it open.

Juugo went stiff, but then relaxed when we discovered she was wearing a black tube top underneath.

"What..what's wrong?" Juugo asked frantically in response to the doctor's curse.

"She just died," The doctor said casually, pumping his green chakra into her chest.

Sasuke didn't say anything, just stood there stiffly. Juugo on the other hand slid down to his knees, looking at the white tiled floor. I heard a chuckle from Karin.

How did I feel? Sad. Disappointed. And a little angry. Sakura, you better not die. I didn't walk all the way through the "desert" for you to die.

"Don't worry, she's still alive," He assured us, and Juugo looked up, not sure what to believe.

Sasuke's posture loosened, though not by much. Karin made a 'tch' noise.

"Her heart stopped for about a millisecond, but it's pumping again. Weak, but pumping. I need to get the beat stronger…"

The man fumbled around for something, and pulled out some sort of device. I didn't know what they were called, I've never seen them before, but he slipped them on his hands like gloves.

"Clear," He said to no one in particular, and pressed them against Sakura's chest. Nothing happened at first, but then Sakura's body gave one big shake, until she fell limp again. I stared in amazement.

"Damn, not enough volts. Sasuke, A hand?" He looked up at Sasuke through his glasses, sweat dampening his forehead.

Sasuke placed his hand firmly on Sakura's chest, and the next moment, she started to shake again.

"More!" The doctor shouted at Sasuke, and Sakura started to vibrate more violently.

"A little more!" He insisted, and now even the table next to Sakura was vibrating, the bloody knives falling off and scattering on the floor.

"All right," The doctor murmured, sounding victorious and wiping some sweat off his forehead with his sleeve. "We got her heart to a steady pace. Now for the actual wound,"

The doctor pulled down her top a bit, but not enough for Juugo to see what he would like to see. I snickered at my thought, which earned me a dirty glare from Juugo.

The man stood over Sakura, probing and inspecting the wound for about a minute, until he exhaled heavily. "_Damn_," He breathed, looking up at Sasuke. "What happened to _her_? This girls been through hell and back," The doctor didn't wait to hear any answer of what happened to her, because he looked down again.

"This isn't just a flesh wound," He started, looking at it and providing more of his green chakra. "The kunai was rather hastily shoved right into her chest bone right here," He indicated, trailing his fingers gently over the area, "and it pretty much shattered the whole thing. That bone right there is also what's helping hold her ribs in place. Fuck me, hardest job in a while," He finished, sounding exasperated and once again wiping sweat from his face.

He looked up at all of us before he began.

"If you don't mind, I'd like you all to wait in the waiting area," He indicated with a scalpel in his hand to the couches.

I pouted, making my way over with the speed of a slug. Juugo was none too thrilled to have to wait over here, either.

I looked up expecting to see Sasuke come over, but he still stood over by Sakura.

Me and Juugo made eye contact. I knew we were thinking the same thing. It was no fair he got to stay over there, but we weren't about to say anything.

"Alright, you can all come over now," the still nameless man called from where he stood, Sasuke across from him.

Me and Juugo got up and made our way over, Karin surprisingly followed.

We all curiously looked down at the place on Sakura's chest which was once bloody and mangled, but now looked as though nothing had ever happened. Though upon further inspection, the skin was not smooth. It was a bit ragged. Nothing you would notice unless you got too close, which I was almost positive Sakura would not allow.

I snickered at the thought.

**Sakura's P.O.V**

It was gone. It felt like it would never leave. The excruciating pain in my chest. But worse than that, was the nothingness.

Was I alive? Where did the pain in my chest go?

I lifted my hand weakly up to my chest, feeling around at the once smooth skin. Now it was bumpy and flaky in one area. I didn't mind.

"Oi, Look! She's moving!" A voice gasped, and I heard footsteps frantically come closer for a look.

I suddenly didn't want to move anymore. Did I have to open my eyes? Move? I wanted to sleep. That didn't mean I was dying, did it? No, it couldn't. Cause the pain in my chest was gone.

I managed to crack my eyes open, but quickly closed them right away. Too much white. Was I in heaven? Yeah, _right_.

I settled with sitting up. I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting leftover pain or soreness from the movement, but there was none.

"Sakura, are you okay?" A gentle voice murmured. I didn't respond, though. I was sitting up, wasn't I? But yes, I did feel okay.

I turned and swung my feet off of whatever I was sitting on, my eyes still closed. Now I decided to open them, no matter how bright.

I was squinting horribly, my eyes reduced to slits. Though in time, I got used to the brightness, and managed to open them to their normal size. I noticed my red shirt was off, and quickly grabbed it and put it on, zipping it up hastily.

An unfamiliar man was crouched and staring at my face, a grin plastered on his features. He looked about twenty something.

"Who are you?" I croaked, my voice surprisingly hoarse. I tried to clear it silently.

"Evan Merric. I'm a Doctor, and I'm the one who healed you."

At his words, I put my hand back on my chest where the pain once was. Remembering how great the pain was, I looked up at the man with immense gratitude.

"Thank you," I said, lowering my hand and offering it to him. "I'm Sakura,"

He chuckled. "I know. And even though I've been working on you for two hours, it's nice to officially meet you," He shook my hand once, and let go.

I looked at him with my green eyes, my eyebrows knit in concentration.

I liked this guy. Looking at him made me feel warm. Maybe it was gratitude for him saving my life, but…

"Such piercing green eyes. I'm very honored to have been the one who kept them bright and full of life," He smiled, looking down at me.

I awkwardly shifted, looking away to avoid them seeing my cheeks.

I heard someone cough, and a familiar red head stepped into view, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it yet.

"Sakura!" he said in a relieved voice, though that was an understatement. It was relieved x100000.

He pulled me into a hug, and I stared blankly ahead. I knew this guy knew me, and obviously cared for me, and yet I couldn't remember who he was. I still let him hug me to be polite.

Once we were separated, I looked up at him, screwing my face up in concentration, my eyes still locked on him.

His cheeks tinted red, and he looked away, much like I had when Dr. Merric looked at me. Was he feeling the same thing?

"I know I know you," I started, pointing to the tall blushing red head, "And yet I can't remember your name. What is it?" I asked bluntly, though immediately wished I hadn't due to the misery that swept across his face.

Suigetsu choked on his water, spitting it all over the floor, and some landed on me.

"Watch it!" I yelled, backing up but then immediately stepping forward to smack him.

He looked up at me, wearing an unsure expression. "You remember me, right?"

I cocked an eyebrow. Such an odd question. "Of course I do, Suigetsu. And you're Sasuke-kun,-" I said, pointing to Sasuke, "And you're Karin," I finished, pointing to her.

I swiftly spun back to the red head. "It's just you…" I squinted. The feeling was frustrating. I knew I knew him.

"What's the meaning of this?" Sasuke asked, turning to Evan.

Evan waved him off, not taking the situation seriously. "It's just all the drugs we had to use on her. Don't worry, It's nothing permanent or cliché like amnesia. It'll come back in a few hours, when the effects fully wear off," he said, reassuring the redhead, who suddenly looked a lot happier.

I remembered everything, joining Taka and being kidnapped, but this red head was in none of the memories. But I could feel that he was there. This was annoying. Stupid drugs.

"So, I wish I could say something cool, like, 'You being alive and having your thanks is enough for me,' but unfortunately, no. Sasuke, the payment?" Dr. Merric asked, turned to Sasuke and holding out his hand.

Karin interrupted, laughing. "I have the money. One sec," She murmured, digging through her pockets, meanwhile saying nasty things about how they shouldn't have to pay someone for saving _my_life.

Karin stopped short, her hand reaching around frantically in her pockets. She looked up at Sasuke as though she wanted to cry.

"Uh, the money…" She said nervously, looking at Sasuke and the doctor. "I don't have it. I must have left i—"

"Now, now. That's a problem," Dr. Merric said, putting a hand on his chin and thinking. "Though you know, money isn't the only way to repay someone."

The red head known as Juugo stepped up, and was frowning. "No ones paying you with their body," He said with finality, and my mouth opened.

Dr. Merric stared at him for a second, but then laughed. "No, you misunderstand. Of course, you could always kill me and just get away with taking my services for free. But then who will you go to the next time something like this happens?"

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked impatiently, shifting his weight from his left leg to the right.

"Here's the deal," Dr. Merric started, a serious tone replacing the friendly one. "Twenty of my friends went to a village. It's called Trinder's Village. Very small and closed off. Not found on the map's anywhere. Anyway, they went for whatever reason, but they haven't come back. And that was two weeks ago. They should have been back in three days at most."

"You want us to find your friends?" Juugo asked, his shoulders becoming less tense.

"Right. I don't know what's up with that village. There are no ninja there. They're all common folk. And you can't use Jutsu's there. As soon as you try to muster up your chakra, it diminishes instantly. There must be some barrier around the village, but don't worry about it. It's supposed to be a peaceful village. Probably just a misunderstanding, but all the same, I want you to find them and bring them back. All 20. Unless some of them are dead, which I highly doubt."

Suigetsu moaned as soon as Evan was finished explaining, and turned to look at Karin with great dislike.

"You had to forget the money, huh? Now we have to go out of our way and do this. Sasuke, can't we just kill him or run away?"

Sasuke was shaking his head before Suigetsu finished. "No. Like he said, next time something like this happens, who will we go to. Come on, we're leaving. Merric, where is this town?"Sasuke said coldly, making eye contact with the doctor.

Evan Merric shook him off, and headed over to the sink. He opened the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a scroll.

"This scroll takes you to the outskirts of the village. My buddies gave it to me incase I changed my mind and wanted to catch up with them. But if it's true they're in trouble, what can I do? You guys, on the other hand," He stopped to look at Sasuke and his Katana, and Suigetsu's giant sword. "Are much more capable than me."

We all nodded, and I couldn't help but see Juugo looking at me sadly from the corner of his eye. He looked depressed. Did he really care that much I if I couldn't remember him? Evan said it was only going to last a few hours anyway.

Dr. Merric unrolled the scroll and put it flat on the floor, spreading it out for us all to see.

"Each of you, put a drop of your blood in this circle," He said, indicating the one on the scroll.

Everyone bit their thumbs—Suigetsu with the sharpest teeth had the least difficulty. Sasuke slit his thumb with his Katana, and we all held our thumbs over the circle, waiting for a drop to fall on the paper.

"All right," The doctor said once we had all done it. "Now, when you're all ready—"

With a poof, Sasuke disappeared. Evan sighed.

"Impatient are we? Nevermind, you can all go now," He said, pushing up his glasses and smiling.

The four of us disappeared at once, leaving Dr. Merric alone in his house, coughing in the smoke.

The smoke from teleporting here was clouding my vision, but I could tell we were in the outskirts of the village due to the change in temperature.

Evan's house wasn't hot nor cold. It was comfortable. Here, however, was a little chilly.

Once the smoke had dispersed, I blinked, and looked around.

The sky was a dull grey blue, and there was no sun whatsoever. We were all currently outside on stairs.

"So I guess the village is that-a-way," Suigetsu observed, pointing to the top of the outdoor, wooden stairs.

Sasuke started to walk, and I shivered. It wasn't just due to the cold.

Just the way the wind blew through the bushes and made a whistling noise, the sunless sky… This place was eerie.

We all followed Sasuke up the stairs. I looked around, bored of looking at the others backs.

Though there wasn't much to look at anyway. Just dirt, bushes, and rocks.

"This place is creepy," Karin shivered, rubbing her arms and looking around with paranoid eyes.

I silently agreed with her, though didn't say anything.

I peered ahead, and noticed we were coming to the end of the stars. There was a shadowy figure standing at the top, and the others seemed to notice this too, because they sped up.

Now the man was full in view. He was wearing armor, and had a sword strapped to his back. A stern expression was replaced with disgust as he saw us approaching.

"Halt!" He said cautiously, and we did as he said.

He was guarding the entrance to the village. There was a fence, and then a wooden arch with no door. I raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it as I looked over Sasuke's shoulder to see into the village.

There were a few houses on this level, but then there was even more stairs to reach a second level of the village. Then, lastly, there was one more set of stairs, and something in the distance I vaguely recognized as a church.

"State your business," The officer commanded, holding out his arms so we wouldn't be able to pass.

"We're here to look for people from another village, about 20, who came here," Karin stated, stepping up with Sasuke to face the man.

The man's eyebrows creased, his eyes watching us warily.

"I haven't seen no outsiders. You're the first to come in a while. You're not welcome here. You can take a look around the shops, but after that, I suggest you leave," He said coldly, and stepped aside to let us pass.

Sasuke stepped through the arch and into the village, the rest of us following closely behind.

We all walked in different areas. Each level of the village wasn't very big.

"Hey," I called to the others, who were close by. "I think this area of the village is just houses. Let's try the next level," I pointed to the stairs on the trail, and they all nodded.

Once on the stairs, Karin shivered again. "I _really_don't like this place," She murmured, still looking around cautiously.

"Me neither," I agreed out loud this time. Why wasn't this place on the map? Surely even a small village like this would be mentioned. They were very secluded.

"Yeah, also, that officer dude said no other 'outsiders' have come other than us. You think we came to the wrong place?" Suigetsu asked, his own eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"No. We're in the right place," Sasuke murmured, keeping his eyes on the stairs ahead of him.

Now we were on the second level of the village. There were still no people walking about. Maybe they were in their homes.

"No signs of dead bodies or anything. Maybe they're not here," Juugo offered, looking around.

"They could be in the houses, maybe," I pointed out, though I wasn't about to go knocking. I had a feeling no one would answer, anyway.

I heard Karin say something that I didn't quite catch, so I looked up.

There, standing a few feet away from us, was a little boy. The first person, besides the officer, we've seen yet.

I kept walking towards the little boy, and was surprised I didn't hear footsteps following me. Turning around and looking behind me, I saw the others standing there, watching.

I raised an eyebrow. Sasuke went off to search on his own again, but the others were watching me, seeing what I'd do. I sighed in frustration. It was just a little boy.

I turned to walk back towards the little boy. He wasn't looking up.

He was holding something white in his hands, and as I got closer, I noticed him saying something.

"_Now don't you laugh_," He began, and I cocked an eyebrow. Was he talking to me?

"_When the hearse goes by_," I noticed now he was singing. Now fully standing in front of him, we looked at each other, making eye contact.

"_Because you may be the next to die_,"

My eye brow twitched in confusion, but I stayed quiet. He started to sway as he sung. The only noise in the whole town was his voice.

"_They wrap you up in bloody sheets, they throw you down six feet deep. All goes well for the next two weeks, then your coffin begins to leak. The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, through your stomach, and out your mouth. Through your eyes, and out your nose, and they eat the jelly between your toes_."

I stood there, stuck in place, completely dumbstruck. Sasuke had stopped looking around, and he too, along with everyone else, were now just staring at the boy.

I stared at him, not sure if he was done or if he was going to continue.

"_Now don't you laugh when the hearse goes by, because you may be the next to die_," He started up again, but I couldn't help but notice the deliberate eye contact he made when he said 'you may be the next to die.' I frowned.

"Hello," I finally said, as though I just got there and hadn't been listening to his song.

He too looked up at me, as if just noticing me. I saw him put the white something in his pocket.

"You're outsiders," He said. His voice was soft, yet high, which was unsettling.

"Er, yeah. I am. Do you know where everyone is?" I asked him, due to the fact he was the second person we've seen since entering this village.

"In the church," He murmured, pointing high above us and at the distant church. I nodded, and looked back at him. I noticed he was humming the song he had been singing earlier.

"You're not supposed to be here," He said, and my eyes left the church and back to him.

"Why not?" I said slowly.

He didn't answer. Instead he became to hum again.

"If they find you you'll be in trouble," He said, and I noticed him playing with something in his pocket.

"Thanks for your help," I muttered, and turned hastily on my heels to go talk to the others.

"We heard everything," Suigetsu said quickly, so save me from explaining. It wasn't hard after all for them to hear our conversation, due to it being the only noise in the village.

"That song he was singing…" Karin trailed off, shivering.

Sasuke interrupted us. "The guardsmen said we could check out a shop, so let's go."

We walked past the little boy, but his hand reached out and grabbed my shirt. I stopped, looking down at him.

"Wanna see my secret?" He asked, quietly yet enthusiastically.

Unsure, I nodded.

Out of his pocket, he pulled out something white. It looked smooth, and looked as though it had been bleached and cleaned very well.

It was a finger bone.

"Where…did you get that?" I wondered, gesturing to the finger bone.

He smiled. "Over by the beach. It's good luck."

I stood there, wide eyed and staring at him, waiting for him to say anything else.

"_Now don't you laugh when the hearse goes by, 'cause you might be the next to die_," He began to sing again, and I walked away, quickly following Sasuke and the others into the shop.

I was about to close the door behind me.

"_they'll wrap you up in bloody sheets,"_

_**slam**_**.**


	21. Hidden scroll

**Hey guys~ ;D  
>Told you that you wouldn't have to wait as long.<strong>

**Some people in the reviews said that Trinder's village is strangely one like one from Dragon Age, a video game.  
>I apologize if it is-, I've never heard of Dragon age, but my friend helped me brainstorm the last chapter, so perhaps she was influenced by it.<strong>

**Anyway, from here on it's all original hopefully. xD**

**Oh, and I made it Sasuke's P.O.V, since it was requested a lot in the reviews.**

**AND THANK YOU FOR 300+ REVIEWS! HERE, HAVE A FUCKING COOKIE MY FRIENDS.**

**

_"Wanna see my secret?" He asked, quietly yet enthusiastically._

_Unsure, I nodded._

_Out of his pocket, he pulled out something white. It looked smooth, and looked as though it had been bleached and cleaned very well._

_It was a finger bone._

_"Where…did you get that?" I wondered, gesturing to the finger bone._

_He smiled. "Over by the beach. It's good luck."_

_I stood there, wide eyed and staring at him, waiting for him to say anything else._

_"__Now don't you laugh when the hearse goes by, 'cause you might be the next to die__," He began to sing again, and I walked away, quickly following Sasuke and the others into the shop._

_I was about to close the door behind me._

_"__they'll wrap you up in bloody sheets,"_

_**slam**_**.**

******

**Sasuke's P.O.V**

**

I kicked around in the grass, looking for any signs of dead bodies. Peaceful village my ass. This place was a perfect setting for one of those lame slasher movies.

I was expecting to find at least an arm or blood, but I grimaced in disappointment when there was nothing. I still didn't trust this place.

My eyes instinctively hovered over to Sakura every now and then to make sure she was okay.

I shrugged it off. It was just because she was already injured, and if someone assaulted our already injured medic nin, then we're screwed.

I noticed the others group around, and Sakura was walking forward. There was a little boy standing there. I frowned, not moving from where I was, but still keeping my eyes on him.

Sakura approached him and they were talking. I didn't have to move closer to hear them; the village was dead silent anyway.

I kicked some more bushes, but wasn't really paying attention to what I was doing anymore. My full attention was on those two.

He was singing?

I stopped whatever it was that I was doing and strode forward, cutting through Suigetsu Karin and Juugo.

"The Guardsmen said we could check out a shop, so let's go," I said loud enough to interrupt whatever that boy was saying.

His hazel eyes drifted up to meet mine, and he smiled.

I frowned back at him and walked into the shop, making sure the others were following.

The little boy started to sing again, and I was about to slam the door, when Sakura beat me to it.

She looked equally as mad as me, yet there was unmistakable fear in her eyes.

I looked away from her and went up to the counter, where a shopkeeper was staring at us skeptically.

"What'll you have?" He grunted, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What do you have?" I responded shortly. I saw a vein pulse in his temple, and slouched back in satisfaction.

"Well, don't you have eyes? Look around," He ordered, jabbing his hand around the room.

I made a show of turning my head slowly around the shop before turning it back to look at him in the eyes.

"So this is a garage sale?" I murmured boredly.

Clothes were strewn across the wooden floors, and there were about three tables with trinkets on them. And other crap I don't feel like describing.

The shopkeeper stared at me, his face turning purple. It looked as if he was about to have some sort of seizure.

He was trying to hold back a yell at me, but I saw his nose flare and he calmed down, looking up at me.

"You outsiders may not have come prepared for our weather, so we have some clothes," He gestured to the clothes on the floor, (to which I snorted and muttered, 'who would buy those?' to which he promptly ignored) "some gift shop items to remember your stay at Trinder's village," Now he pointed to the trinkets on the table, (and I scoffed again, saying how nobody would want to remember their stay here, to which he ignored yet again,) "And some food," He said, pointing up to the menu board above his head.

I was about to make a smart remark about the food, when a loud rumbling erupted through the room.

I turned around and my eyes rested on a very red Sakura.

"Sorry," She muttered, looking down at her feet. "Don't mind me,"

I raised my eyebrow as I stared at her. She refused to look up, as if her shoes suddenly became very interesting.

"She lost so much blood, she needs the nutrition. And she hasn't eaten for a while," Juugo pointed out, standing up for her.

I ignored him, still looking at Sakura. It appeared she could feel my gaze, because she looked up, though still refused to look me in the eyes.

"It's fine—we're not here for food, we're here to look for people. Let's go," She said, shifting uncomfortably on the spot.

I continued to look at her for a few moments, before I turned back to the shopkeeper.

"What's the best thing on the menu?" I said, scanning the menu, though not really reading.

The shopkeeper stopped being mean at the sign of making a few bucks, and straightened up, smiling.

"Well I recommend the dango. Mom's special recipe," He smiled, looking confident of his cooking skills.

"We'll have five orders of that," I muttered, reaching in my pocket for money. It wasn't very expensive.

"W-Wait, Sasuke, we have money? Why didn't we pay Evan?" Karin stumbled over her words in excitement, wanting to get out of the village.

"It wouldn't have been nearly enough, especially for the state Sakura was in," I answered simply, putting the required money onto the counter in front of the shopkeeper. He smiled in appreciation and turned around and headed into a back room.

"You didn't have to—" Sakura started, looking up at me, but Karin cut her off.

"He didn't do it for you!" Karin bellowed at once, and patted her stomach. "You're not the only one who's starving!"

I sighed, not wanting to listen to Karin's screeching, and went to one of the tables.

With a sweep of my arm, I sent all of the little trinkets onto the floor and off of the table.

To my great disappointment none of them broke.

I pulled out a chair and sat down, and Karin quickly seized the one beside me, and clutched my arm. I grimaced and shook her off.

Suigetsu sat across me, and Sakura sat across Karin.

Juugo pulled up a chair from the table next to us and took a seat at the head of the table.

Once we were all seated, Sakura leaned forward, intertwining her fingers as she rested them on the table.

"Where should we go after we eat?" She asked, looking around at all of us.

"I guess the church, eh?" Suigetsu asked, though didn't sound too anxious.

Karin shuddered beside me and I gave her a sideway glance. She seemed more on edge than usual.

Probably because these were civilians and they didn't have chakra, so she can't sense anyone from the village, and doesn't know their whereabouts.

"It's probably not safe though," Juugo started with a frown, as if recalling something. "That little boy outside said that if they find out that we're here, we'll be in trouble."

"Well the guardsmen knows we're here, so does the little boy, and now the shopkeeper. There's no point in hiding," Sakura said in a hushed voice, her vivid green eyes flickering over to the door that the shopkeeper could burst out of any second.

"I agree," Karin said reluctantly, as if it was the hardest thing in the world to admit. Sakura looked up at her, a look of surprise on her face, but then smiled at Karin. The redhead beside me quickly looked away.

"Surely we can't just burst in there though…Can we?" Juugo said, wincing, as if playing the scene in his head and imagining it all going horribly wrong.

"They're all civilians, what can go wrong?" Suigetsu shrugged, leaning back in his chair and flexing his muscles. "Even without our jutsu's, we're still way more skilled," He said easily.

"That little boy," I spoke up, and everyone looked up at me immediately, surprised I was joining in on the conversation. They all listened intently, and for a brief second I was reminded of children gathering around to listen to their teacher reading a story book.

"He said that everyone is in the church right now, so we should take this opportunity to search the houses," I said, slouching back in my chair, causing it to creak loudly.

Sakura sat up now, and I saw her wince quietly before she spoke. Was her injury still hurting? I stared at her skeptically as she tried to cover it up, and she looked away. "Yeah, and we could wait until nightfall to search the church,"

Suigetsu nodded rapidly, as if getting excited now. "Yeah, yeah, that's good," he was bouncing in his seat now.

"But should we check the houses alone, or with a partner…?" Juugo asked wearily, and I saw his eyes hovering over Sakura. The corners of my mouth turned down and I crossed my arms, gesturing with my chin to Suigetsu.

"It's like Suigetsu said. Even without our Jutsu's, these are just civilians."

Juugo nodded reluctantly, peeling his eyes off of the pinkette.

At that moment, the shopkeeper opened the door and made his way to our table, balancing the plates of dango in his hands quite unprofessionally.

"Here you are," He grunted as he placed them all in front of us carefully. He spun and quickly ran back to the room, and returned with drinks.

I raised my eyebrow.

"I don't remember ordering drinks," I said crossly.

He still set them down in front of each of us, and clasped his hands together once he was done.

"It's on the house. When you spend over $15, you get free drinks. Plus, you're outsiders, so I thought I'd show you some hospitality," With that, he left back into the back room, leaving us to eat.

I stared down at the drink expectantly.

Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo were raising their glasses to their lips. Meanwhile, Sakura held hers up to her nose.

"_Don't drink that!_" Sakura hissed immediately to them, and they all froze, looking at her.

"It's poisoned?" Juugo asked incredulously. I peered at him in annoyance. It wasn't that hard to believe.

"Yeah," Sakura breathed, swishing her drink in her hand. "Really strong stuff, too. One sip and you'd be dead in a few minutes," She frowned, and spilled her drink all over the floor.

Everyone followed her lead, knocking their drinks on the floor. Suigetsu enjoyed it so much that he grabbed my cup and did it again.

"Excuse me," Sakura yelled in a sing song voice, and the shopkeeper ran out. As soon as he spotted the spilled drinks, a look of misery swept over his features.

"We're a little clumsy," The pinkette said, smiling poisonously up at him. "Could we just have five orders of water instead?"

The shopkeeper stood there for a few seconds, but then nodded reluctantly, dragging his feet back to the back room.

Once the door was closed, Suigetsu spoke up.

"Why more drinks? Won't he just poison them again?"

Sakura shook her head. "Water, due to how clear it is, you can spot the poison immediately—unless you get the extremely advanced stuff. And I doubt he does,"

Now everyone looked at their food hesitantly.

"This is why I didn't want to get any food..." Sakura murmured, looking down and holding up her dango suspiciously.

I picked up my dango and took a big bite, my left cheek inflating.

Everyone looked at me in shock. Karin gave a wail and threw her arms around my neck.

"Sas—Sasuke?" Suigetsu spluttered in disbelief.

"He wanted to poison us," I said, my voice muffled due to the dango in my cheek, "So he put poison in our drinks. So why—" I swallowed, "Would he bother giving us poisoned drinks if the dango was already poisoned."

Hearing my words, Karin unwrapped her arms from my neck and looked down at her dango reluctantly, as did the others.

Suigetsu was the first to take a bite. "If we die, I'm going to kill you,"

Juugo took the next bite. "See you in hell," He muttered, shrugging.

Karin took the next, sniffing and wiping her tears. "I'll go with you then, Sasuke."

Sakura was still looking at everyone in disbelief, and then started laughing.

I raised my eyebrow, as did the others.

"It's just…" She was still chuckling, "You guys are some of the most feared ninja out there. It would just be sad if _dango_ killed you,"

And with that, she muttered 'ah, to hell with it,' and took a huge bite of her dango.

"I don't care if this is poisoned, it's damn good," Suigetsu mumbled, his words barely comprehendible due to the food in his mouth.

The shopkeeper arrived a few minutes later, setting down out cups of water, still looking disappointed. That confirmed my theories that the dango were indeed, poison free. If they were poisoned, he would be happy we ate them.

I chugged my water and stood up, brushing myself off. The others chugged their water too, Suigetsu releasing a huge burp, to which Karin promptly smacked him.

I opened the door and stepped out of the warmth of the shop and back into the cold misty village. I noticed the little boy was gone, and the others seemed to have noticed as well.

"Wonder where he went…" Juugo murmured, and a moment later his eyes travelled up to the church.

"Think he went to warn the others that we're here?" Sakura wondered, her eyes also on the church.

Juugo nodded, his eyebrows creasing. "That's what I was thinking."

"All right," I said boredly, my half lidded eyes looking around lazily. "Pick a house, and search it,"

I walked up to a house at random and opened it. Surprisingly, it wasn't locked and I stepped over the threshold.

The room I walked into had a wooden table, one chair, and beside it was a fireplace, which was currently the only source of light, besides the window.

I closed the door shut behind me, letting it slam loudly to give a warning to people who may be in here.

I walked over to the table, and noticing a piece of paper, I picked it up.

It was a shopping list, but only had one item on the list, and it was scribbled repeatedly all over the piece of parchment.

Bed sheets? I threw it in the fire, watching it erupt into flames.

Even though the fire caused the shadows in the room to jump and flicker wildly, I still noticed a new shadow approach behind me.

I stood there however, waiting for whoever was there to either attack me or speak.

When nothing happened, I grew impatient and spoke up.

"Is everyone in the church?"

Whoever was behind me flinched so violently I heard them fall over and hit into a wall.

Apparently they were so confident on their stealth skills that they were so surprised that I knew that they were there.

"An outsider, eh? What's it to you…" It became clear to me now that by the voice it was an old lady. Even easier.

"I'm here looking for people. Other outsiders,"

She chuckled, a raspy, demented chuckle. "You'll have to be more specific, my dear boy."

I turned around at her now, shooting daggers.

The smile swept right off of her face, and she took a step back.

"They came about two weeks ago," I said harshly, pulling out the chair from the table and sitting down.

She looked outraged at my actions, as if it was insult I was sitting down in her presence.

Either she didn't like outsiders on her furniture, or she though I wasn't taking her seriously. Which, I wasn't.

"Oh, them…" She intertwined her fingers, just like Sakura did when she was thinking, except hers were soft and smooth, this woman's were spidery and leathery.

"They came looking for the scroll…" At her words, I shot up, which startled her so much that she toppled over. She quickly scrambled to her feet.

"Scroll? What scroll, where is it?" I demanded.

She smiled a toothy grin—if you could even call it that. Most of her teeth were missing.

"Nobody knows about it…Nobody thinks that innocent, peaceful little Trinder's village will have it…Sure, there are rumors that it may be here…but no one takes it seriously…some do come out of curiosity, like your friends…but they all end up the same…"

I stepped forward, my thoughts on the scroll.

"Where's the scroll?" I demanded again, making full eye contact with her beady eyes.

She coughed, her breath blowing a few strands of her greasy grey hair out of her face.

"You came looking for your friends," She croaked, and was now smiling again. "But now you're looking for the scroll. You all end up the same…"

Now she was hysterical with laughter. I was growing impatient, and slammed my fist against the wooden wall.

Again, she flinched and looked up with a terrified expression that was soon replaced with a smug one.

"Where," I began, and activated my sharingan. I wouldn't be able to use any jutsu's like Amaterasu, but I could still read her actions. Though right now I was just using it as a bluff, to scare her. "Is the scroll?"

Her mouth gaped open, and she started trembling to the point where she could hardly stand.

"Wha—what.." She spluttered, a hand clutched over her heart as she stared at my red eyes.

"Demon!" She exclaimed, and lunged for me, pulling out a hand behind her back, revealing an already bloody knife.

I dodged it with next to no effort, and grabbed her wrist. She was still trembling to her core, and our faces were inches apart.

"You'll end up the same!" She spat into my face, "They all do!"

I grimaced, not too keen on seeing her already horrid face up close.

It was pretty obvious I couldn't just leave without her following or running to the church, so I shoved her into one of the rooms, and jammed it.

The door rattled as she tried to get out, but eventually she slid down to the floor, murmuring to herself.

I listened and realized what she was saying.

"They all end up the same… _you may be the next to die…throw you down…six feet deep_…"

However, she broke off and started to sob. I was going to try and question her more when I heard Sakura yell.

I turned around quickly and heaved open the door, stepping outside.

Sakura was on the ground, where Suigetsu was laughing at her and Juugo was trying to help her up.

"What happened?" I asked in a detached voice, and the bickering stopped.

"This idiot," Suigetsu pointed his finger in Sakura's face, which she slapped away, "Tripped over her own feet,"

"I didn't trip over my own feet, there was something there," Sakura murmured, peering around her feet.

"Yeah, you're left foot," Suigetsu said, chuckling.

I looked down, too. I noticed something half buried, and bent down to pick it up.

"That must be what I tripped on," Sakura said triumphantly, glaring at Suigetsu.

I examined it, and upon brushing off most of the dirt and grass, it became obvious what it was.

"It's a leg bone," I announced, and everyone shut up yet again.

Karin, for what had to be the one hundredth time, shivered furiously.

I tossed it aside, and looked at the sky.

"I'd say it's about five o'clock, so it'll be dark soon. We should wait out the rest of the day until it gets dark. Then, we'll head for the church."

Everyone nodded in agreement, but Suigetsu spoke up.

"Where will we wait it out? If we wait outside, people might see us, and I don't really wanna be spotted by these psycho villagers,"

Karin shuddered. I threw her an annoyed glare.

"That reminds me," Sakura said, "Did you guys find anything when we went to go investigate houses?"

Immediately there was a chorus of "no's" and bits of useless information. When I didn't say anything, everyone turned to me.

"I'll fill you in later. First, let's find a place to wait out till nightfall. Follow me," I spun around and headed right back into the house that I had just had that lovely chat with the little old lady.

"Is it really okay to go in here? Even If it is empty, what if they come back?" Sakura asked skeptically.

"The house isn't empty. There's someone in there," I said simply, and opened the door. No one walked in.

"What?" They all asked.

"When I went into search this house, an old lady attacked me, so I locked her in there," I pointed to the jammed door, where her mad murmurs could still be heard.

"But what If she has family in the church and they come back?" Juugo asked.

"Then they go in with her," I said, and walked inside. Juugo was the last in and he closed the door behind him, locking it.

"Ah…so there are more…you'll all end up the same…" murmured the old lady from the other side of the door.

Karin shivered in response.

"Karin, is it really that cold in here? You've been shivering constantly. It's pretty annoying," Suigetsu snapped, and I couldn't help but smirk.

"So, did the old lady tell you anything when you asked her questions?" Sakura asked, sitting down and leaning against the wall.

As I was filling them in, Karin shivered in response to some of the story. Suigetsu stood up.

"One sec, Sasuke," He muttered, and dragged Karin over to the fireplace.

"Continue,"

"That was all anyway," I muttered, leaning back in the chair.

"So they came for a scroll? I wonder what it does," Sakura pondered, tapping her index finger on her chin.

"Well," Juugo said, heaving himself off of the floor, "I guess it's about time,"

Everyone followed his gaze to the window. Outside the once grey blue sky was now a dark navy blue, almost black. The only light was from the moon and lit windows of other houses.

"Alright," I agreed, getting up off of the chair and opening the door.

I waited for everybody else to get outside before closing it.

I heard the muffled screams of the old woman as we walked away.

"_**You'll end up the same, you will!**_" she screeched furiously. 


	22. The Church

**Whew, sorry for the long wait again! I was reading a fanfiction, and the author said she hadn't updates for two months. And I  
>thought<strong>_** I**_** was bad lately… If this story is still continuing even after summer, then the updates will be more frequent. With all the sleepovers and stuff, it's harder to update. But enjooooy, this chapter was more explaining stuff, but the next one will be better. ^^**_  
><em>**  
>**<strong>__

  
><em><br>"So they came for a scroll? I wonder what it does," Sakura pondered, tapping her index finger on her chin._

_"Well," Juugo said, heaving himself off of the floor, "I guess it's about time,"_

_Everyone followed his gaze to the window. Outside the once grey blue sky was now a dark navy blue, almost black. The only light was from the moon and lit windows of other houses._

_"Alright," I agreed, getting up off of the chair and opening the door._

_I waited for everybody else to get outside before closing it._

_I heard the muffled screams of the old woman as we walked away._

_"__**You'll end up the same, you will!**__" she screeched furiously._

I looked back at the house we just left from. The old lady was screaming herself blue, saliva flying out of her mouth as she screeched.

We all kept quiet, creeping around the bushes and avoiding the occasional villager.

"If they saw us, do you think they'd even attack us?" Karin whispered anxiously, staying close to Sasuke and her red eyes fixed on the men walking by, unaware of our presence.

"Who knows. Taking that chance would be a waste of time, anyway. I don't have the patience to fight them," Sasuke responded shortly, finality in his tone which shut Karin up for the rest of the journey to the church.

"Shit," Suigetsu murmured once the church was in view. They had closed the gates, and there were two armored guards standing on either side.

"We can't attack, because that would very obviously give away our presence," Karin pointed out, which didn't exactly make anyone gasp.

I peeled my green eyes off of the men's timid faces, and instead looked at the church and its surroundings.

There were many trees behind it, the moon giving the only light source now, and the trees and its branches casting creepy shadows.

"Well, we're ninjas, aren't we? Can't we find some way to sneak by?" Suigetsu asked, an edge of annoyance coating his voice. I silently agreed, though it was easier said than done.

There was no way we could all just climb over that huge gate without making some sort of noise or drawing attention.

An eerie wind blew past, chilling my core, and I watched the leaves blow through the air, as if swept along by a water current.

"The trees?" I asked.

Suigetsu gave me a look of pity, as if I've finally lost my mind, and gave me a quick, but meaningful pat on the shoulder. I brushed him away angrily.

"I mean, why don't we just climb up the trees, look—" I pointed to the trees that hung overhead of the church. "We could just climb them, drop onto the roof, and hopefully sneak into the front entrance without the guards looking back."

Everyone took it into consideration, but before anyone said anything, Sasuke already stood up and was walking towards the trees.

"So obvious of a plan, why didn't I think of that?" Karin asked bitterly, jealous from the fact that Sasuke was going with my plan.

Sasuke climbed up first, and thankfully the branch hung so close to the roof of the church that when he landed, it didn't make much noise. Not that it would have even if he jumped from fifty feet—he landed quite gracefully.

I was next, Juugo helping me up after my failed attempts at climbing. I ignored his help and took out a kunai, sticking it into the tree and using it to lift me up.

Once on the tree, I was about to drop but the branch was slippery, whether from dew or some slimy bugs that lingered here previously, I lost my footing.

I didn't care much about my safety, a fall like this wouldn't even bruise me. The noise it would make, however…

Sasuke caught me, an annoyed look on his face. I returned it gladly, noticing that he was holding me a bit too long, until he finally set my down.

By that time everyone was successfully on the roof of the church.

I glanced over at the guards. They didn't seem to notice anything, and still stared straight ahead, not bothering to look back.

We all hopped back onto the ground quietly, a few rocks scattering here and there, but the guards didn't look back, yet again.

I reached for the door handle, my heart drumming in my throat.

This could just be some normal church. Who knows. But for some reason I built it in my mind so that it was some horrible place. I sucked in a big breath through my nose, and opened the door.

Unfortunately though, the door was so old that the wood creaked extremely loudly, almost as a welcoming party.

The guards glanced back curiously, and they didn't seem that alarmed. Maybe they though it was someone leaving the church.

However, when they saw it was not indeed someone leaving the church, but outsiders breaking in,they didn't look too neutral anymore.

There was nothing for it.

"Quick!" I yelped, forgetting all stealth techniques, and once we were all in, Sasuke quickly slammed the door behind us, jamming the door with his Katana.

I looked up at him nervously. What if they budged it so much that his sword broke? As if reading my mind, Sasuke murmured, "It's unbreakable unless broken with an extremely powerful technique, which these freaks don't have."

Reassured, I nodded, and began to look around the church.

I was expecting a heap of dead bodies as soon we entered, but I was surprised at what I saw.

There were hundreds or pink petals scattered on the floor in various places, though the original dark, navy blue carpet was still visible.

Though what was most noticeable and caught me from the moment I stepped in, was the smell. It was wretched, and I gagged, almost heaving, my eyes watering. I clasped my hand over my nose and mouth, and continued looking around.

The Church pews were all lined up nicely, and some people were still sitting in them, not paying us any attention.

I looked up. There were paintings of cherry blossom trees on the wall, and a huge chandelier above our heads, though it looked as though it had long since worked, and was partly destroyed.

And at the altar, a huge cherry blossom tree grew out of the ground, its branches spiraling gracefully.

I gasped, and it seemed the others noticed at this point too, because at this point they either made noises of disgust or surprise.

On the branched of the tree, people were hanging, the branch protruding right out of their chest.

six people were stuck on the branches, hanging lifeless, blood pouring from the fresher ones, and only a few drops of blood dripping from the older ones.

I wanted to look away, but I couldn't.

Sasuke started to walk forwards, and we all followed hesitantly. I looked to my sides to the people sitting on the church pews.

One woman was holding her baby, a giant metal rod pierced through both of them.

The baby's eyes were white and rolled back into its head as its mouth hung open and its head limp on its mothers chest.

Tears spilled out of my eyes and I quickly looked away. Karin noticed and she looked in the direction I was looking, and she let out a scream of fear, now trembling furiously.

I didn't dare look at the people sitting in the pews anymore, afraid of what I might see.

Sasuke reached the altar and looked around, almost a disappointed look on his face.

Above the altar and above the cherry tree, there was a balcony I hadn't noticed until now.

A man stepped out and was now leaning against it, watching with a mixture of anger and curiosity.

Karin screamed and pointed at him. "Murderer!" She accused, wailing uncontrollably. She threw herself into Suigetsu's arms, still sobbing.

Suigetsu, momentarily disgusted and taken aback, didn't know how to react, but then awkwardly patted her back.

"You dare," The man above started, his voice booming and echoing through the silent church, "enter upon these Holy grounds, outsiders?"

I couldn't help the snort as I looked up at him. Suddenly a rage flared inside of me as I gazed around at all the dead villagers, or outsiders.

"_Holy!_" I shrieked in my fury. My vision was blurred with my hot anger, my desire to kill him matching almost with Madara's. I didn't know where all this anger was coming from, but it felt good to scream at him.

I almost wanted him to retort in an angry manner, justifying whatever he was doing so I could fight back and satisfy the anger in me.

Instead, however, he stared at me wide eyes, his mouth gaping open and his hand quivering madly as he pointed his old wrinkled finger at me. I grimaced when I noticed it had blood on it.

"Y-You…!" He rasped breathlessly, his blue eyes impossibly wide. Then, without another word, he began to laugh. It sounded almost triumphant, though I couldn't tell because of how absolutely mad it sounded.

Then, out of nowhere, the old man jumped right off of the high balcony he was on and landed right in front of the cherry blossom tree, landing in a puddle of blood.

We all backed away at his sudden enthusiasm and his unexpected leap, which left him completely unharmed.

"You!" he repeated, making his way towards me.

Before he could come any closer to me though, Sasuke sidestepped in front of me, and judging by how the old man recoiled so violently, I could only imagine what kind of expression Sasuke was wearing.

"What do you want with her?" Sasuke demanded coldly, and I also wanted to know. I've never seen this man before in my life, let alone been to this village.

"She…" In his excitement, he seemed to barely be able to form full sentences. He flared his nose and breathed to try and calm himself down.

"My village," He started to explain, walking back up to the altar, "We worship the cherry blossom tree."

Everyone raised their eyebrows at him. He gave us all a knowing look, as if he didn't expect us to understand.

"You can read our bible if you want—the cherry blossom tree saved us. The petal She produced gave us a cure to a disease that cursed us. This tree," He gestured to the huge cherry blossom tree growing out of the ground in the altar. I didn't look at it when he gestured towards it, though. I didn't want to see the dead bodies stuck on its branches.

"She's been in this village for generations and generations. However, as you can see, She's dying."

I looked at it unwillingly. It was true. The petals were withering and it looked drained of life.

"The Gods must be upset with us…" The old man muttered, now to himself more than to anyone else. "Why else would She be dying?"

Suigetsu snickered quietly, Karin too traumatized to speak, Juugo looking horrified, and I couldn't see Sasuke's expression.

Me, however… The anger I felt from before was returning, and I lashed out.

"Are you _stupid_?" I shouted at him, stepping out from behind Sasuke. "Of course a _tree_ is going to die, you daft—!" I stopped screaming at him, due to the amazed look he was giving me, his eyes widening once again.

For the first time in a while, Karin spoke.

"Why…why…Kill all these people?" She croaked, and tried to look at them again. "Some of them are wearing your villages brand. Killing your own people…?" Karin stopped talking, and once again hot tears were streaming down her face.

I couldn't understand how she was crying anymore. I was pissed.

"The tree, that's why we must kill! It's what She wants!" He explained incredulously.

"She's dying… I couldn't understand why…I lured people in the church, saying they were going to serve a great service to Her. Some even volunteered willingly, bless them." He finished, gesturing to the dead people, hanging on the branches that were pierced through them.

It seemed everyone but Karin was past the stage of fear now; their eyes glinted with fury.

"And what on earth, may I ask, led you to believe that killing people was the answer?" I demanded of him.

He looked at me as if I was a treasure he had just found once again, which made me want to hit him, but he answered nonetheless.

"She told me," He pointed to the tree.

Suigetsu made a 'coo-coo' whistle, and I couldn't help but agree.

"So what does this have to do with Sakura?" Sasuke demanded, his anger rising as well. "You want her as one of your sacrifices as well?"

The old man peeled his eyes off of me and looked up at Sasuke.

"Go ahead, try and take her," Sasuke threatened, and I was surprised to see him pull out his Katana. When did he…

"Sakura…" The old man breathed, staring at me un utter fascination. "So that's your name. As expected…It _does_ mean cherry blossom after all…"

Everyone, even Sasuke, went silent.

"What about it?" I demanded.

"The reason the tree is dead…It's so obvious now…" He murmured, stepping towards me, only to be blocked by a certain raven haired boy.

"Enlighten us." Sasuke said coldly.

"Can't you see it? She's being reborn! She no longer wants to be a tree, so now she materialized herself into a human!" He pointed, jabbing his finger at me furiously.

No one spoke, not even Sasuke. Suigetsu didn't even laugh.

"You…You think I'm your Goddes, or something?" I spluttered.

"I'm certain! Your hair is the same colour as a cherry blossom petal, your name is Cherry Blossom, and you are just as beautiful as the legend says! What other explanation could there be!"

I stood with my mouth gaping open, staring at the senile old man blankly.

"Listen, I'm not your Goddess or whatever. That tree? It's just dead. She didn't transfer herself into me or anything. I think I would realize something like that."

The old man seemed bent on his theory, though.

"Your hair was a different colour before, right? After She entered you, your hair turned pink! That's it, right?"

Sasuke laughed dryly, devoid of all humor.

"I've known her since I was a kid, her hair has always been pink," Sasuke spat, and my eyes widened. That was the first time Sasuke actually acknowledged me having been a part of his life before team Taka.

"I've got it then!" the old man gasped, and you could practically see the light-bulb by his head.

He spun on his heels and hugged the cherry blossom tree.

"She knew it was her time, and so She let herself die, because She knew there was going to be someone arriving at the village soon who would take Her place! This is your prophecy! Your destiny!" He proclaimed, a vein throbbing in his forehead.

"Will you live up to your prophecy?" He was nearly screaming now, and I was glad Sasuke was blocking him from me, because the way his hands were grasping the air, it looked like he would be holding me and shaking me.

I looked at him with my eyebrows raised, "No."

The excited smile vanished off of his face, and his hands which were once grasping were now clenched in fury.

"Get them! But be gentle with Her! With Sakura!" He bellowed through the church.

The people on the pews started to get up off of their seats, and Karin screeched. I was momentarily terrified as well, thinking they had come back from the dead, but then I realized that not everyone on the pews were dead. They had just been sitting there blankly the whole time.

Karin screamed and struggled to get their blood covered hands off of her. Suigetsu tried to get out his sword, but he was already slammed to the floor. Juugo was bigger and someone actually jumped off of the balcony to get him down.

It worked—the impact from their daredevil jump smashed Juugo right into the petal covered floor.

Sasuke, however, didn't fight. He merely stood there boredly, as if waiting to be taken. The villagers seemed to be taken aback by this, and didn't approach him. They merely stared at him, a terrified look in their eyes.

Sasuke sighed and raised his hands, which caused many to flinch, but he was raising them to show he had no weapon. At that, one person screamed and tackled him, many followed after.

"Take them to the dungeons!" The old man commanded, licking his lips excitedly.

I could still hear the echoes of Suigetsu complaining as he was dragged off, and Karin wailing.

We were alone now, and the smell of decaying flesh was still unbearable, and I wanted nothing more than fresh air.

But why did Sasuke give in so easily like that?

I heard rustling, and averted my eyes back in front of me.

The old man was slowly getting to his knees, and bowed so low that his nose was touching the blood stained floor.

"_Sakura_…" he breathed. 


	23. A plan

**A-ha! This one came much faster than the others, though it is short. I just didn't want to continue, because I think I ended it at a nice spot. ;D  
>Anyway, enjoy this chapter, and look forward to the next! It'll be longer. D<strong>

_Sasuke sighed and raised his hands, which caused many to flinch, but he was raising them to show he had no weapon. At that, one person screamed and tackled him, many followed after._

_"Take them to the dungeons!" The old man commanded, licking his lips excitedly._

_I could still hear the echoes of Suigetsu complaining as he was dragged off, and Karin wailing._

_We were alone now, and the smell of decaying flesh was still unbearable, and I wanted nothing more than fresh air._

_But why did Sasuke give in so easily like that?_

_I heard rustling, and averted my eyes back in front of me._

_The old man was slowly getting to his knees, and bowed so low that his nose was touching the blood stained floor._

_"__Sakura__…" he breathed._

******

I dropped to my knees outside of the church, my mouth wide open as I sucked in the crisp fresh air.

I was starting to get used to the smell of the dead bodies from in the church, but now that I was finally getting some fresh air, I didn't want to have to go back in.

The images of the dead mother and her child quickly flashed through my head without permission, and I immediately hunched over and wretched.

Wiping my mouth and standing back up groggily, I tried to think of Sasuke.

Had he tried to make eye contact with me? Was he hinting that he had a plan, that I was supposed to catch on?

I replayed the scene in my head over and over again, concentrating only on Sasuke.

His eyes were as black and bored as ever, and he made no effort whatsoever to make eye contact with me.

I sighed and took my last gulps of precious fresh air.

Usually, I'm good at reading peoples expressions. But his…

My hand clasped over the cold iron door handle of the church, and I hesitantly heaved it open.

The smell hit me stronger than it had the first time. Maybe because I was dreading it, or because I finally got out, but as soon as I got the slightest whiff of it, I immediately wanted to wretch again.

"Ahh…Sakura, Sakura," The old man cooed, floating towards me.

I took a step back.

"I want to go to the dungeons," I announced, my voice ringing through the empty church.

I was delighted to see, at least, that the dead bodies had been cleaned up at least. People no longer lay dead on the floor and the pews, or hung from the branches of their so called ex-goddess.

The old man seemed slightly taken aback at this, but then smiled.

"I don't think you should, Sakura… You see, you may have not accepted the fact that you are our Goddess yet. Maybe, for some ridiculous reason, you may think you are still a normal woman and you should try to escape with your friends—"

I didn't let him look me in the eye, for he had just hit a bulls eye on what I was about to try and do. I could practically feel the gears in my head screeching as I tried to think of something under the pressure of his gaze.

"Actually," I said in my most pompous voice, fixing my posture and straightening up. "I blame them for keeping me away from my destiny. If I hadn't met them, I could have been here sooner, instead of keeping my people waiting."

I smiled inwardly as the old man's forced smile turned into one of relief and joy, and he quickly strode over to the door that led to the lower level of the church, where the dungeons were.

"I do not know what business you have with our prisoners, Sakura—if I may use your name—but I don't believe It's any of my business…Take your time…Call me if you need anything…yes…anything at all…"

I slipped past him as he kept on rambling.

The narrow stairs leading down to the dungeon were all rocks. Rock wall, and rock steps. The ceiling, which was soggy and felt like dirt, was dripping onto the steps.

I muttered a string of curses as I nearly fell, but managed to catch myself at the last second.

The old man at the top of the stairs had closed the door, and I stopped, realizing that that was the only light source.

How did the others get down? With the slippery steps and the darkness, it was practically impossible.

Then again, they were being pulled along, and the guards that took them probably had torches.

"Ah!" I squeaked as I fell down the stairs, not stopping until a wooden door collided with me.

I got up, swearing again, and opened it.

Hoping to enter the dungeons after that tedious little adventure, I slammed my fist against the wall when I (barely) saw more stairs.

If only this Village didn't block out Jutsu's. I could just smash my way through the dungeon and save the others and we could all split.

After what seemed like an eternity of slipping and swearing, my cold fingers fumbled for the door's handle, and impatiently, I swung it open.

"—No, it really doesn't taste as good as it sounds…huh?"

Suigetsu's voice stopped, and fell silent, listening for whoever just entered the dungeon.

The dungeon, like the stairs, was all rock, but torches were aligned on the wall, giving it a warm glow in such a cold place.

I walked down a row of cells, all were empty except one, whose inhabitants had long since died, their bones the only thing left of them.

"Doesn't sound like one of the guards, judging by the footsteps. And we can't sense their chakra, either, cause of this damn Village…" Karin was whispering to the others frantically.

Knowing I was close to their cell now, I quickened my pace until I stopped in front of the cell which held familiar faces.

"Sakura?" Karin, Suigetsu and Juugo said in unison.

"Yep," I responded, crouching down in front of their cell and wrapping my arms around my knees.

They started talking again, quickly, throwing questions at me. Suigetsu, however, was throwing accusations.

"You never told me you were a Goddess," He snapped, looking genuinely hurt and pissed off, which momentarily threw me off guard, until he cracked his shark smile. I couldn't help the smile that I returned.

"So, why are you here? Tryin' to bust us out?" Suigetsu snickered, and I sighed at the way he said it, but it was true.

"Well what am I supposed to do? Let you rot in here?"

Sasuke, who was the only one standing while everyone including me sat, turned his head to me. He blended in so well with the shadows I completely forgot about him.

"Sasuke!" I shouted his name as if I just caught him doing something he shouldn't. "Why did you let us all get caught? You could have taken those guys!" I clenched my fist and raised it up in my enthusiasm. Suigetsu, who was near my fist, pretended to die a dramatic death.

"We've been asking him that since we got here, but he won't tell us." Karin said sadly, as if remembering the memory and being upset she couldn't get it out of him.

"Said he was waiting for you," Juugo said to me.

I looked at Juugo, and suddenly a throbbing pain pulsed through my head, and I gripped it at the sides. I squeezed my eyes shut, wondering where all the immense pain was coming from, but as soon as it arrived, it left.

"Sakura?" Juugo asked, sounding worried.

Now, instead of pain, it felt like something, somewhere inside my brain, had burst, and suddenly memories of the red-headed man called Juugo rushed back to me.

I momentarily got light headed, and I wobbled slightly where I was crouching, but then I looked up at Juugo with a beaming smile.

"I remember you!" I shouted, and immediately regretted it. The dungeon echoed well, and the sound of my own voice rang through it, causing me to cringe.

Juugo looked happier than he should have, reached his arms out through the bars of their cell, and pulled me into a hug.

Flustered, I hesitantly hugged him back. Now that I remembered, the bad memories also came back with it. How he…

I shook my head, not concentrating on the bad, but the good as I wrapped my arms awkwardly around him through the bars.

"Well, now that Sakura's here," Sasuke interrupted, and being the only standing person, stuck his leg right in between me and Juugo. "I can share my plan. Unless of course you would rather continue."

I was thankful for the dim and warm glow that the torches gave off, because it helped to hide the sudden, unwelcome redness in my face.

There was a loud slap as Suigetsu put his hand on his forehead. I looked over at him.

"Shit!" He moaned, looking furious with himself. "Before you remembered, I should have told you that Juugo and you were lovers!"

Now it was Juugo's turn to turn red, whereas I reached into the cell to punch him. He quickly scrambled back.

"Or maybe a stalker…" the white haired boy muttered.

"Anyway!" Karin's voice boomed loudly as she, who could reach Suigetsu without pesky bars saving him, throttled him. "Sasuke, what's your plan?" Her voice suddenly went sweeter; causing me to almost do a double take just to make sure it was the same person.

Sasuke didn't look at Karin when he spoke, but me.

"Sakura, You'll be their Goddess. Leave us in here."

There were several moments of silence after that.

I noticed there was a faint dripping noise somewhere in the back, to the left. Or was it the right?

"_What?_" I demanded, standing up now so that he didn't look down upon me as much, though I couldn't do anything about the natural height difference.

The others broke out into argument too, apparently not wanting to stay in the dungeon even if it was for the plan.

Sasuke didn't respond to my question, which made me angrier, but I decided to calm down and hear him out, which took a lot of willpower.

"Why though?" I asked simply, and Sasuke's eyes shifted to me.

"The scroll," He said simply, and I stared at him.

"The reason all of those outsiders from other villages came here was the rumors of the scroll. But why would so many people risk coming to this village if they hear of all the disappearances? Because the scrolls worth it. It may or may not be the same one we were hunting before, but it's probably powerful. So, earn their trust, and ease them into telling you where the scroll is."

Everyone was quiet as they absorbed his words. The others started talking, whether it was complaints or compliments, I didn't know since it just sounded like buzzing to me.

I replayed what he said in my head three more times before I opened my mouth.

"You said it may or may _not_ be the same one, and it's _probably_ powerful. We're—or should I say _I'm_—taking all these risks, when it's not even 100% sure?"

The buzzing stopped as everyone else looked from me to Sasuke.

"You won't be in any danger, you're their Goddess. And I'm not about to break out of here, have to waste my time killing all these freaks, and then waste more time looking all around the village to try and find a scroll that's extremely well hidden. I have no doubt that I could find it, but who knows how long that would take, especially without using any jutsu's. Anyone can see that the smarter route is for them to lead you to it," Sasuke finished, looking down at me as if daring for me to oppose.

"Why don't we just take the scroll out of the equation completely? There's a reason this scroll is so well hidden, Sasuke! And plenty of powerful ninjas have come here before us, and they died too. We could just leave now without looking back!" I shouted at him, my hands clutching onto the bars.

"I'm aware powerful ninjas have died because they tried to find the scroll, but they didn't get a V.I.P pass to it, did they? You could just walk right in and take it. These freaks are so religious they wouldn't dare oppose their Goddess."

"I get that, Sasuke," I shot at him, and my hands tightened on the bars further. "But like I said, why not forget about the scroll? Why do you want it so much?" I asked as I looked up at him, though it sounded more like a beg.

Sasuke was apparently taken aback by my lack of defense, and he looked away. "I need it," he mumbled.

"For what?"

"It's none of your business, Sakura."

"It is if I'm risking my life for it, Sasuke."

Sasuke took his eyes away from whatever he was looking at before, and now looked down at me so intensely I dropped my hands off the bars.

"You'll find out soon enough. I have no doubt you'll be there when I need to use it."

I frowned up at him—not out of anger, but out of thought. For one horrible moment, the idea of the possibility that he may end up using the scroll to destroy Konoha passed my mind.

If that was true, then that would mean I'm helping in bringing the destruction to my own village. Though there didn't seem to be another way out of the village, since Sasuke seemed bent on getting the scroll.

The logical part of me considered just leaving them all in the cell and leaving on my own, which I could easily do now that I was their Goddess. But the decent part of me couldn't leave others to die when I could prevent it. Especially Juugo.

And a different part of me didn't want to leave Sasuke.

Though if the scroll he wanted to get really did end up being for destroying Konoha, I'd do everything in my power to stop him.

"I'll do it," I mumbled, feeling cornered and trapped. There was no other way.

Sasuke looked down at me. He looked neither pleased nor displeased.

"Though they don't trust me as much as you think. That old man might, but the others don't. They all keep glaring at me. The old man trusts me the most, but that's not saying much. Even he sometimes looks reproachful. And now I'm risking my life for some scroll." I clasped my hands on the bars once again.

"You're not in any danger," Sasuke told me.

"Didn't you hear me? They don't trust me. You didn't see their eyes. They're waiting for one little slip up, I just know it. And then I'm gone."

"You're still not in any danger," Sasuke said.

I was about to yell, when I saw his lips move.

"I won't let them touch you," He mumbled, and he said it so quietly that I wasn't sure that I actually heard it. No one else seemed to have noticed it in the silence, so I shrugged it off.

**

**Reviews are appreciated! I know my number of reviews isn't exactly lacking, but they're just so much fun to read. X)**


	24. Scarecrow

**WHEW. WELL. HELLO THERE. LONG TIME NO SEE. Sorry I was just so unmotivated to do this chapter. I dunno, Just didn't feel like it. But once I actually started typing I couldn't stop. In fact, I'm so pathetic, that even as I was writing a part of this chapter I started crying a little bit. Just a tiny bit.  
>Anyway, enjoy the LONGEST CHAPTER?<strong>

"I'll do it," I mumbled, feeling cornered and trapped. There was no other way.

Sasuke looked down at me. He looked neither pleased nor displeased.

"Though they don't trust me as much as you think. That old man might, but the others don't. They all keep glaring at me. The old man trusts me the most, but that's not saying much. Even he sometimes looks reproachful. And now I'm risking my life for some scroll." I clasped my hands on the bars once again.

"You're not in any danger," Sasuke told me.

"Didn't you hear me? They don't trust me. You didn't see their eyes. They're waiting for one little slip up, I just know it. And then I'm gone."

"You're still not in any danger," Sasuke said.

I was about to yell, when I saw his lips move.

"I won't let them touch you," He mumbled, and he said it so quietly that I wasn't sure that I actually heard it. No one else seemed to have noticed it in the silence, so I shrugged it off.

After going through the plan once more and promising my return soon, (much to Juugo's relief), I trudged up the stairs back to the upper church. I kept on slipping every few seconds, so very childishly, I crawled up the stairs on all fours.

By the time I reached the final door entering the church, my black gloves were soaked, so I threw them behind me carelessly.

Upon opening the door, I jumped back quickly, almost falling down the flights of stairs.

The old man was standing there, a wide, stretched grin on his face. I wondered if he was waiting for me there the whole time, and the thought made me shiver.

"Welcome back, welcome back!" he greeted me cheerfully, and invited me to sit down on one of the pews. I looked down at it hesitantly, remembering the dead bodies that had occupied them only about an hour ago.

The old man saw my hesitation, and realized what I was worried about. He chuckled, and started rubbing the seats, apparently to emphasize how clean they are.

The withered man also bent down, smelling it. "See! Smells like cleaning products!"

I still stood there, watching his crazy antics.

He, thinking I was still hesitating to sit on the once dirty pews, bent down again.

"They really are clean!" He exclaimed, and started to lick the pew seat. I grimaced and backed away. Definitely standing.

He was about to prove to me they were clean once more, when I held up a hand to stop him.

"Enough. What do you want?" I demanded, growing impatient.

His face fell at my tone, and I almost felt bad. Behind his mad expressions, he looked like a normal old man.

"We want to show you around the entire village." He said simply, as if scared to extend on it any further.

To try and seem friendlier, I sat down on the pew beside him and looked around.

In the most kind voice I could manage, and the most convincing smile I could form, I turned to him.

"That would be nice," I said simply. It was amazing how that one sentence seemed to cheer him up entirely.

"Wonderful!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together in his excitement. "I have other business to attend to, but you will be shown around by those fellows."

The old man's finger pointed over to a group of four men, two older, about in their forties and thirties, and the other two only a bit older than me, maybe twenty.

They all looked at me as if I were gum on their shoe.

_But why?_ I thought bitterly. _I'm your Goddess._

I spun around to look at the old man quickly.

"You're not coming?" I asked frantically, trying to control my voice.

"Oh, no... I have other business to attend to, Sakura…Don't worry, they won't hurt you. They just need some time to accept the new Goddess."

I tried listening to his words, but looking at the men made me uncomfortable.

The two older men were both tanned. One had sandy coloured hair and the other black. They both had brown eyes.

The two younger ones both had fairly pale skin, one having auburn, almost red, hair and blue eyes, the other had white blonde hair and brown eyes.

The four men didn't have sunken faces, or crazed looks in their eyes like the others. They looked almost normal, which made the thought much more frightening.

What normal person would want to bow to this kind of religion? One where it's okay to kill your followers?

The old man led me to them, and I remained stiff, looking straight ahead of me.

Did they have any weapons? Sasuke said he wouldn't let anything happen to me, but they could easily slit my throat right now and he'd never know.

"Well, off you go," The old man waved his hand, and the men started to move while I hesitantly followed. "Be sure to show her everything! She is our Goddess!" His yell was just heard as the white-blonde haired boy closed the door.

The four of us stood in front of the church for a couple of awkward moments. I dug my foot into the ground.

Finally taking some initiative, one of the older men started to walk, and we all followed.

"And that's a scarecrow that's been in this village for generations," The white haired boy said in his monotone voice. It reminded me of Sasuke's, but more robotic.

I went up to it, running my fingers across it just as a raven perched itself on one of the scarecrows arms.

The material was surprisingly smooth, and I frowned, rubbing it some more to try and figure out what it was.

"It's skin," The red haired boy said as if knowing what I was doing.

My hand recoiled so fast I almost hit myself in the chest. How could he say that so casually?

"It's skin from both our enemies and our villagers."

I tried to look at it as if I was fascinated, but I was far from. I took a steady step back and quickly turned around when I felt myself press against something.

The white haired boy looked down at me with his dark brown eyes. He was so pale, and so was his hair. It was a weird, but nice combination to have the dark eyes.

I apologized and moved away from him, but as soon as I did, he moved back up. I wondered what he was doing, until I realized he was just trying to get closer to the scare crow.

The burlap bag that was covering the head of the scarecrow swayed in the chilly wind, and the white haired boy reached to take it off.

The raven, which had been quietly sitting there up until now, started to peck furiously at his pale skin.

Dark beads of blood seeped out of his white skin, but he didn't react. He continued his action of removing the bag.

I thought I would be used to all these creepy twists by now, but I wasn't. I didn't make a sound, but my mouth opened slightly in disgust.

Just like how the scarecrow was made out of real skin on it's body, it also had real human parts on it's head. Shriveled human eyes, one blue and one green, were glued onto the ball of skin that was the head.

A nose, which by the perky shape I presumed to be a girls, was also perched on the blob.

But what got me the most for some reason was the mouth. A top lip and a bottom lip were either ripped off or cut off, and were now forming some kind of demented smile on the scarecrow.

"Why…uh, do we use this scarecrow?" I tried to sound interested, to make it sound as if the "Goddess" wanted to know more about her people.

"An offering," the red head said. "Just like how you saw the dead people hanging from the branches—they were offerings too."

I thought back to the corpses hanging on the tree.

But didn't the old man say that was an offering to the Goddess?

"But that was an offering to the tree Goddess," I said, not sure what else to call it, "Now that I'm the Goddess, can't we get rid all of this stuff? I don't need these offerings."

One of the older men cleared his throat.

"The offerings aren't just for you," He said gruffly, and looked around nervously, as if wondering what he was about to say next was okay. "They're also for the Demon."

My curiosity perked up at this, and I turned to the older man who was speaking. "Demon?"

"I…can't talk about it," He looked torn, as if wondering whether he should obey his rules to not speak of it, or to not serve a Goddess.

I didn't pester him. Somehow I didn't really want to know about this Demon.

"All we know is that it is all black, and has red eyes. We haven't seen it, but our ancestors have. The offerings make it happy, is what it says in the scriptures."

I turned to look at the white haired boy as he spoke. I frowned in thought. I doubted there was really any Demon. Their ancestors probably just saw a bear, shit themselves, and spouted off nonsense that it was a Demon.

"Well then. Is that all? I think you've showed me everything?" I wondered, and once I saw their nods, I began walking.

I heard a flapping noise, and looked over at the raven. It was flying above me, but looking down at me with watchful eyes.

In this village it always felt like you were being watched.

The familiar voice I heard next cut through the silence like a whip, and raised goose bumps on my arms.

"_Now don't you laugh when the hearse goes by…_"

A quiet, sing song voice sung, but I didn't dare look at him.

He started whistling, which was different from the last time, and I turned my head a bit and looked at him.

He was pointing directly at me with his lucky finger bone.

"_Because you might be the next to die_."

He didn't have to tell me twice.

Quickly, I skidded to the left and turned around, holding up my arms.

The white haired boys knife, which would have went into my back if the little boy hadn't been singing that song, was now gouged into my arm.

I could see the other end of the knife protruding from the other side of my arm, and a thick, steady stream of blood rolled to the ground.

Better that than my back though.

The raven from overhead screeched furiously from overhead and clawed and screamed at the white haired boy.

I was about to take the knife out of my arm and heal it, when I remembered I couldn't use chakra.

A bead of sweat added to my forehead.

I decided to keep the knife in for now, to stop the bleeding.

My green eyes met with the singing boys hazel. I gave him a look of gratitude.

He gave the tiniest of nods and begun his singing again.

I shifted my attention from the pain in my arm to the white haired boy in front of me.

"What was that?" I demanded.

It was obviously not a group attack—the others seemed just as horrified by what he had done as I was.

In fact, the white haired boy himself also seemed horrified, and he stared at my arm with wide gaping eyes.

Even though I was the one with the knife in my arm, suddenly I was worried about him.

"I…" He croaked frantically, and I could see his frame start to shake.

"What d-d-d-d-did I do?" His teeth clattered a mile a minute as he tried to form comprehendible sentences.

"You just stabbed me." I said, lifting up my arm.

It was obviously a rhetorical question, because he seemed horrified by my answer. To my surprise, he leaned over and threw up.

"I'm-m-m-m.. Sor-r-y.. What…"

I was confused now. This wasn't an act so that I would have mercy on him. What was wrong with him?

The others were still also gaping wide eyes at my arm. It appeared I was the only one capable of talking.

"I-I-It was too perf-f-f-fect.. I…I…I…I-I, I thought you were a D-demon," he rambled a mile a minute, still bent down and looking up at my wound.

"_Me_? Why?" I asked incredulously.

"It—it was j-just too p-p-perfect that as s-s-soon as ou-our tree di-die-died, you came along. And y-ou look exactly l-l-like a S-s-sakura tree in human-n fo-form. I thought you were a D-d-demon in disg-guise."

I weighed what he just said. It was plausible. But to stab me?

"Why would stabbing me determine if I was a Demon or not?"

"B-because th-their b-b-blood I-i-t's different."

I accepted that answer.

"But as you can see, I'm no Demon." I said simply, feeling my pulse in my arm.

His eyes widened again as if remembering what he had just done, and he looked like he was about to wretch again.

"I-I-I-I-" He struggled to swallow. He was clearly hysterical. "-I-m-m-m. S-s-s-s-sorry.. I-I didn't… P-please don't kill m-me…"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Kill you? No. Your theory was pretty alright, I guess. Though you could have just asked me to prove it or something."

"T-that would h-h-h-have b-been rud-de…"

I laughed. And stabbing me wasn't.

I walked over to him, careful not to move the knife lodged in my arm.

"Come on, get up," I said, heaving him up and supporting him on my shoulder.

Now that I was making body contact with him, I could really tell how much he was shaking. He was sweating all over, his skin was ice cold, and just being beside him made my body start to shake.

The raven who had attacked him so viscously earlier, was still floating in the air watching. I didn't know if birds could be angry, but this one looked _pissed. _

"Sakura!" The old man gasped in sheer horror.

Before I got to him, though, I helped the white haired boy who's name I learned was Elixir (which I thought was quite an odd name though I didn't say anything,) sit down on the pews, and then turned to the old man, who's blue eyes were wild and crazy as he looked at my injury.

The old man opened his mouth several times in an attempt to say something, but after a while nothing came out, and I grew impatient.

"It doesn't hurt anymore, I can hardly feel it," I said, though after the words were out of my mouth, I realized that probably wasn't such a good thing.

He still didn't say anything, and I frowned.

Though he did raise his shaky hands and swiftly pulled the knife out.

Caught off guard by the sudden action, I let out a cry of pain. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a white head shoot up in response.

I looked down at my arm, and distastefully looked at the area where the knife was pulled out of. I wish I had done it, he did it so sloppily.

The blood had started again. It wasn't dripping. It was more like a steady stream. It made me nervous.

The old man raised his shaky hands once again, and I gasped when green chakra came out.

He sucked at medical jutsu, so it wasn't doing anything, but I was still staring amazed at his hands.

How…?

"There," The old man said in a relieved voice, apparently proud of his _superb_healing abilities.

All he did was repair the skin—the muscle was still a mess underneath. I would go to Karin later and ask her to let me bite her.

"All better?" He asked.

"Yeah." I lied, trying to keep my arm stiffly at my side to avoid moving it.

"Who did this?" His voice was more demanding and angrier now.

I quickly swallowed, not about to rat out the white haired boy, even if he was one of these crazy villagers. A part of me felt bad for him, and even liked him. It wasn't his fault he was born into this.

He told me he was checking if I was a Demon to protect the village.

I tried to conjure up an excuse for him. Fell on a sharp rock? No, there was a knife in my arm for God's sake. If only I had pulled it out earlier.

"_ELIXIR!"_The old man yelled, and my eyes widened. How did he know?

"_THIS_ IS _YOUR_KNIFE!" The old man bellowed, grabbing Elixir's black shirt and heaving him up off his seat.

Elixir was too terrified to answer. He looked over at me with his unmistakable wide brown eyes, and I clenched my fists.

"Get off him," I walked over and ripped the old mans hands away from Elixir.

The old man looked at me in astonishment and rage, as if surprised someone would oppose him. Then he seemed to remember I was his Goddess, and he smartened up.

"Sakura. You're a Goddess. That kind of behavior towards you is an immediate execution for him."

"E-Execut…" Elixir mumbled, and stopped short, staring wide eyed at the floor.

"No! He thought I was a demon, and his theory was plausible. I forgave him and _I'm_ the one who was stabbed, for fucks sake! So if I can forgive him, you sure as hell will, and that's a _fucking_ORDER."

I was panting, and my heart was drumming loudly in my chest. My fingernails were digging into my hands.

That was the first time I had yelled at the old man like that, or used my authority. It felt good, especially when using it to save a life.

The only sounds that were heard was all of our breathing, more so my panting.

Beside me, Elixir gave me a look of happy disbelief, and rubbed at his eyes.

The old man apparently still didn't know what to say at my outburst, and I smiled smugly.

"V-very well. Elixir, you will be allowed to live. But, I warn you both. If he does something like that ever again, we won't fail to execute him. "

I nodded. "I'll agree to that. He won't do it again." I said confidently, and turned towards Elixir.

Before I could say anything he wrapped his arms around me and sobbed into my shirt. It was weird to be holding a man older than you as he cried.

I smiled sadly and hugged him back before releasing him.

"See you both later, I'm checking on the prisoners." I announced.

Elixir left the church as I started to head towards the dungeons, but the old man's hand was on my shoulder.

"Actually, we're going to execute them."

"Wha—what?" I asked. I didn't have an excuse to be mad about this to him.

"They're no longer needed. They're a part of the past you. We're part of the new you."

Any excuse to keep them alive. Come on.. Any excuse…

"Well, I'd like to keep them alive. I'm starting to forget my past life now that the Goddess is taking over my body. Me and her are sharing a body, you could say. And we're both curious about my past. So, if I do forget everything, I'd like to keep them around to fill me in. It may be useful in the long run to have someone around who knows about my past."

the old man seemed to think it was a fair argument, cause he nodded reluctantly. His face almost fell, as if he was deprived of killing people today.

I stepped down each dungeon stair carefully. I was far better than the last time.

I creaked open the wooden door which was quite heavy with my good arm, and made my way over to their cellar.

"Who is it?"

"The footsteps sound feminine. Think It's Sakura again?

"Who knows. What if that freaky chick is back?"

"Ugh…"

I snickered to myself. Never before have I felt the urge to know what someone sounds like so bad, so I could imitate this 'freaky chick's' voice.

But, I settled for "It's me!"

"Sakura?" The three of them asked again, like last time. Wasn't sure why they did that.

Reaching their cell, I crouched down again like last time.

But unlike last time, Sasuke, instead of standing in the shadows, marched up to the bars which he could easily break.

He was staring at something, though I didn't really care what. Though he did look extremely angry. I didn't dwell on his anger though—it wasn't very rare. Someone probably just said hello to him.

"I got injured, but I can't use my medical jutsu's as you know. Karin?" I asked her hopefully, turning to her.

"Yeah, sure," She agreed, apparently warming up to me, I've noticed. It was probably just because I was out risking my neck, and she got to be with Sasuke without me interrupting anything.

She reached out her arm and I was about to bite it, when she quickly pulled it back.

"If you say, 'Just kidding!' I'm going to let the old man execute you like he originally wanted."

"No, no—wait, he what? No, what I wanna know is, where is the injury anyway?"

I stretched out my arm tenderly, and grazed my finger softly on the disguised wound.

"But it doesn't look… If this is for muscle pains you can go fuck yourself."

I smiled and rolled my eyes, shaking my head.

"No, there is a wound. I got stabbed in the arm, and that old man attempted to heal me with his medical jutsu, though he sucks and it only attached the skin back together."

Karin nodded, looking at the spot where I pointed to on my arm.

"Cut the skin back open first, then you can bite me."

I did as she said, pulling out a Kunai and poking it into my skin. Since the muscle was ravaged underneath and the skin wasn't even attached, it just felt like poking a tooth pick through saran wrap.

Karin reached out her arm again once I had cut it all open, and I closed my mouth around her wrist.

"Ooh, some hot girl on girl action?" Suigetsu piped up, and I frowned at him, though I didn't say anything as my mouth was occupied.

I felt my muscles stitching themselves and repairing the ripped tissue. Once I was sure it was done, I leaned back.

"Thank you," I said to Karin, but she didn't look at me.

"Don't thank me. Without you we'd all die."

I smiled, though immediately stopped upon seeing Juugo's frantic expression.

"How? How did you get hurt?"

I thought about lying for a moment, but figured it couldn't do any harm.

I explained what had happened. About the four guys, about Elixir and his breakdown, and what happened after I heard he was to be executed.

"You're sure he's safe now? He won't try it again? Are you sure?" Juugo asked skeptically.

"Yes, I'm sure of it." I responded sternly.

"I just can't believe that creepy little boy helped…Guess we're in his debt…" Karin whispered.

"If that little boy didn't save you, you would have been backstabbed by the people you thought were your followers…get it? BACKSTABBED?" Suigetsu started cracking up all by himself, Karin looking at him angrily, and Juugo was looking sick just by imagining me getting stabbed in a critical spot..again.

I on the other hand was looking at Sasuke wearily. I knew he had something on his mind and he was about to say it.

"Kill him." He ordered simply, and I was taken aback from the directness.

"Who? Elixir?" Sasuke gave a curt nod, and I shook my head. "No!"

"No matter what you say, he's not trustworthy. Even if you think you trust someone, you're not always right. And after what he did I'd say he isn't."

"I don't care, Sasuke. I'm not letting him die. You're in the cell. I'm not. I make these decisions."

Sasuke glared at me with such white hot intensity, I would have recoiled any other time. But this time, I gasped.

"…You!" I shouted at Sasuke, jabbing an accusing finger at him. "You're the raven!"

Everyone else would have been confused, had I not told them the story from outside, raven and all.

"What? You think he's the raven that was outside with you?" Karin asked skeptically, but at the same time she seemed to believe it.

"How'd you use that technique though? No chakra, remember?" I asked jealously.

"I did the technique before we entered the village." He explained.

I thought for a moment, and frowned. "But why didn't it disappear? The barrier evaporates Chakra."

Sasuke, for once, looked confused. He frowned. "I'm not sure."

If I wasn't so intrigued I would have made a witty joke, but alas, I was intrigued.

Changing the subject, Sasuke looked down at me. "Did you find anything out about the scroll?"

I shook my head. "No. I got stabbed."

Suigetsu laughed, but the look on Sasuke's face made me think I was going to be stabbed again.

I nodded, waving him off and turned to walk away.

"I should go. It looks suspicious If I'm down here for too long."

Everybody waved me goodbye, but one hand reached out and grabbed my wrist. I turned to look around to see Sasuke reaching out of the bars and sternly gripping my arm.

"Don't get hurt again, Idiot."

I gave him a sad smile and shook him off.

**Juugos P.O.V**

I watched Sakura leave, my heart squeezing as she did so.

"She didn't even say anything," Sasuke growled under his breath. He ripped a chunk of the dungeon rock floor out of the ground, and threw it against the wall.

"Well, what was she supposed to say? She's in danger every minute. She can't exactly truthfully say she won't get hurt."

Sasuke went silent after that. I never had the last word when talking to Sasuke. Though that wasn't really the point.

"You have the raven to watch over her, right? So it's fine."

"All I can do as the raven is watch over her. But realistically what is a raven going to do if someone's charging at her with the intent to kill? All it can do is watch." Sasuke said in his usual detached voice, though I thought I heard it crack.

I listened for a few more moments, trying to decide if it was actually his voice, which I doubted, or the sounds of the rocks he was throwing scraping against the wall.

The latter. Definitely.

I brushed a strand of my pink hair out of my face as I searched the Altar of the church. The once half alive tree beside me was now completely wilted and shriveled, its pink now black.

That old man, who's name I really should learn, was out doing whatever he does when he randomly disappears sometimes. I take his absence as an opportunity to snoop.

Upon my searching, I found a box of matches, probably to light the candles.

An idea popped into my head, and I quickly scooped up about four matches, and put them in my navy blue skirt.

I had brought my backpack on this mission, and changed into my normal clothes. Though I was still armed.

I got up from my crouched position behind the altar and looked around, making sure the coast was clear.

Opening to the door and stepping out into the crisp air, I noticed the guard was gone. I shrugged. Easier for me.

Gripping the matches tightly in my hand, I marched over to the scarecrow.

It was a supposed offering to a Demon, but I'm the Goddess now, and this was too disturbing to keep.

To make it more flammable, I brought my mission clothes and strew them over the scarecrow.

Those were the clothes I was wearing when I first got here anyway, and they smelled like what the church smelled like when we first entered it.

The raven was soaring above me in a circle, and came to land on a fence a few feet away from me, watching me.

I quickly wiped two of the matches across the rough material of the burlap sack covering the scarecrow, and watched them as the flame on the end grew larger.

My hand reached up and silently, I lifted the burlap sack off of the scarecrows head, ready to get rid of it once and for all after a last look.

I definitely wasn't making a mistake by burning it. It was a monstrosity.

I looked at the mangled lips, the detached nose, and…

I stared at the eyes. My heart thundering in my chest.

Green and blue eyes.

Those were them.

Those were the eyes I saw when I first looked at this.

But now.

What colour were they?

Well that's quite obvious.

Brown of course.

But not just any brown eyes.

Why.

Why.

Why?

I sunk to my knees and leaned over, my forehead touching the ground.

I let out a shriek as my tears came streaming out of my eyes and my body shook from my crying.

This was the first time I've had a proper cry in a long time.

I didn't try to conceal my agony.

I let out a long piercing dreadful scream and dug my fingers into the ground as I shook.

Still crying, though not making a sound, I dropped one match on the scarecrow.

Elixir's wide eyes were staring at me.

"I'm sorry," I said, my lip trembling, and I wiped the other match on my skirt.

I'm so sorry.

I dropped the second match on the scarecrow. The other two I had lit earlier were on the ground, and I stomped on them.

I watched the fire slowly build up, until it was taller than me.

The flames licked every inch of the scarecrow, and almost got a taste of me before I backed away.

I wondered if Elixir was crying.

I wonder who killed him.

If it was the old man I'll kill him.

The raven pushed off the fence and soared into the air.

I lost sight of it in the clouds.


End file.
